Pennsylvania Resources Council expands glass recycling program

Pennsylvania Resources Council’s (PRC’s) Traveling Glass Bin program has expanded its offerings to municipal partners by introducing its first monthlong engagement in the southeastern region of the state. The program is part of PRC’s broader glass recycling collaborative, which has provided free recycling services throughout Pennsylvania since 2020.

“Since the first bin appearance in Allegheny County four years ago, PRC and partners have scheduled more than 100 weeklong engagements to collect glass bottles, jars and jugs for recycling,” PRC Executive Director Darren Spielman says. “We’re excited to expand recycling options for our many municipal partners by scheduling our first monthlong engagement.”

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Residents of Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, can recycle glass bottles, jars and jugs April 5 to May 3 in the Haverford Township Office’s lower parking lot at 1014 Darby Road. The four-week engagement, sponsored by Haverford Township, will operate daily from 7 a.m. to sundown. Containers should be empty and rinsed, with lids and labels still on. Bags and boxes used to deliver glass must be discarded off-site.

“Glass is still one of the most recyclable materials we generate in our homes, and the market for glass recycling is very strong,” says Ethan Woodfill, PRC glass program coordinator. “We’re eager to see the bin put down roots in a single location for a four-week period to enable more people to gain access to this recycling opportunity.”

PRC launched its glass recycling campaign in 2019 with a series of pop-up events in response to the elimination of glass in numerous curbside programs. PRC says last year’s program enabled 50,000 households to drop off more than two million pounds of glass bottles, jars and jugs for recycling.

PRC’s Traveling Glass Recycling Bin program is sponsored by Owens-Illinois Inc., Perrysburg, Ohio, and Cap Glass, Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and works in collaboration with Michael Brothers Hauling, Pittsburgh, and Tri State Waste, Philadelphia.

“When you take the time to use glass-only drop-off sites, nearly 100 percent of the glass collected is recycled into new bottles and jars,” Woodfill says. “A bottle, jar or jug dropped in a bin today could be recycled and back on a store shelf in less than 30 days.”