Glass recycling program in eastern Pennsylvania made permanent

After what it calls a successful three-month engagement of its traveling glass recycling bin in Haverford Township, the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) says it is expanding its glass recycling efforts to include its first permanent collection site in eastern Pennsylvania.

According to PRC Executive Director Darren Speilman, thousands of Delaware County residents dropped off 15,000 pounds of glass for recycling in the council’s traveling bin throughout the summer.

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“Based on public participation and the quantity of glass collected, PRC has established its first permanent collection site in the region, offering uninterrupted service by keeping the Haverford Township glass recycling bin in place.”

The PRC says residents can drop off all colors of glass bottles, jars and jugs in the blue bin located in the Haverford Township Office lower parking lot at 1014 Darby Road. Containers should be empty and rinsed, with lids and labels still on, and all bags and boxes used to deliver glass must be discarded offsite.

“The glass recycling partnership with PRC seems to be a win any way you look at it,” Haverford Township Manager David Burman says. “All glass collected in the bin is being recycled, and the more glass we divert from curbside collection to this bin, the less it costs the township to process glass.”

Since launching glass recycling in 2020 in Allegheny County, the PRC says it has joined its partners in establishing permanent collection sites in more than a dozen communities and has scheduled more than 100 traveling bin engagements to provide a free recycling service in a variety of locations throughout the state.

“Glass is still one of the most recyclable materials we generate in our homes, and the market for glass recycling is very strong,” says PRC Glass Program Coordinator Ethan Woodfill. “When you take the time to use glass-only drop-off sites, nearly 100 percent of the glass collected is recycled into new bottles, jars and jugs.”

The PRC’s glass recycling program is sponsored by Perrysburg, Ohio-based glass bottle manufacturer O-I Glass Inc. and is aided through partnerships with Pittsburgh-based Michael Brothers Hauling Inc. and Philadelphia-based Tri State Waste & Recycling Inc.

“This permanent location in Delaware County will enable more people than ever to gain access to this convenient recycling opportunity,” Woodfill says. “Glass recycling offers an amazing opportunity to keep materials out of landfills, and a bottle, jar or jug dropped in a bin today could be recycled and back on a store shelf in less than 30 days.”