Glass Recycling Foundation awards grants to advance glass recycling

The Glass Recycling Foundation (GRF), a nonproft based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has awarded about $70,000 in grants to support equipment, education and pilot project activities that improve glass recycling.   

GRF says the grants will go toward glass recycling in select cities and counties in North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. The following programs have received or will receive support in 2022:  

• Repeat Glass, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, will receive funding to support the purchase of roll-off containers to collect glass packaging through a drop-off recycling program that serves residential homes and commercial businesses with an anticipated 15 additional tons of glass recycled annually.  

• Stillwater, Oklahoma, will receive grant funding to purchase curbside recycling bins that will allow 400 households the ability to recycle source-separated glass containers, with an anticipated 16 additional tons of glass recycled annually.  

• Prism Glass Recycling, Erie County, Pennsylvania, which has received additional funding from O-I Glass, will expand Erie County’s 2021 residential recycling grant and will provide glass recycling services to 20 bars and restaurants. The effort anticipates an additional 250 to 350 tons of glass recycled annually.  

• North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has partnered with GRF to provide grants to communities in the state, where glass collection has fallen by 30 percent in the past four years. Communities receiving funding are Pinehurst to support the installation of a new drop-off glass collection facility including a 20-yard roll-off container to collect glass with a target of recovering 215 tons per year; Moore County to support the construction of a glass bunker, foam tire replacement for a wheel loader, roll-off containers and signage with the goal of potentially increasing glass recovery by 10 percent; and Pitt County to support the construction of a bunker at the transfer station to collect glass containers brought in on roll-off containers from convenience sites throughout the county allowing the county to haul up to 20 tons of glass per trip instead of up to 4 tons per trip when transporting materials to the end market.  

“Many communities struggle with strong glass recycling due to lack of investment or budget,” says Scott DeFife, president of GRF. “Through donations from stakeholders in the glass recycling value chain, we can make an impact that increases glass recycling access and cullet available for recycled glass applications.”  

To be considered for a GRF grant, eligible entities, including nonprofits, municipalities and manufacturers, must submit an application that includes a complete project budget, proposal, work plan and other specified information. Projects allowed under the grant program can either be demonstration/pilot projects that address specific gaps in the glass recycling supply chain or education projects that educate the public about the benefits of recycling glass.  

The GRF awards grants on a biannual schedule. The application period is currently open, with a deadline to apply online by Oct. 7.