Texas City Discontinues Glass Collection

The collection of glass containers by Amarillo’s curbside collection program was discontinued this month.

Area recyclers still accept everything from metals, such as lead, iron and aluminum, to corrugated cardboard and office supplies to auto batteries and bodies, according to KAB information.

Even larger East Coast cities are discontinuing glass recycling because of the expense involved.

The decision to halt the collection of glass in Amarillo follows a trend throughout the country. With end markets for the collected glass few and far between, many municipalities are finding it difficult to take in small amounts of the material and ship the collected material great distances.

According to a spokeswoman for the city of Amarillo’s Public Works Department, in the last fiscal year the city collected around 79,000 pounds of glass.

While the city will continue to collect a host of other recyclables, the city discontinued the collection of plastics several years ago.

While the city will look for end markets for glass, it appears likely the city’s decision to halt the collection of glass is permanent.