A note from the manager of PRC’s Recycling Glass Program, Ashley DiGregorio:
PRC has received many calls from residents in Southwestern Pennsylvania, rightly wondering if there are still options to recycle their container glass given the postponement of Pop-Up Glass Events in recent weeks. These events were postponed to avoid interpersonal contact and social gatherings, but while you are practicing social distancing it is still critical, perhaps now more than ever, to separate your recyclables including container glass from your landfill-bound trash.
Here’s why:
- Support local and regional businesses: Manufacturers across the country rely on recyclables for the raw material needed to create essential products, including glass bottles and jars. With restaurants and bars closed, glass manufacturers are seeing a huge decline in the amount of recyclable glass that drives their operations. Pennsylvania is home to several businesses in the glass recycling and manufacturing industries. In fact, we host more businesses relying on recyclable materials than any other Northeastern state, according to a recent study. As we all look for ways to support local businesses during this challenging time, recycling your glass at a drop-off site listed on our webpage will support jobs and keep PA businesses operating normally.
- Keep the shelves stocked: We’re all hoping to see grocery stores stocked their empty shelves, and this is difficult for retailers to do when manufacturers can’t keep up due to supply chain issues. The glass bottle you recycle this month can be remanufactured and put back on your local store shelf as a new bottle or jar in as little as 30 days, supporting our regional economy more broadly.
- Greater environmental impacts: While we collectively fight a serious public health threat today, our long-term environmental health is still important to us all. In fact, since you are spending nearly all your time at home, the actions you take from home have an even greater positive impact than usual. Every time you help fill the CAP Glass blue bin you know from our pop-up events (approximately 6 tons of glass), 1 ton of CO2 is reduced. One ton of recycled glass also conserves a ton of natural resources and reduces energy usage in manufacturing.
To learn more about plans for PRC’s Glass Recycling Program during COVID-19 Stay at Home orders and future plans in 2020, read PRC’s Bug Blog, The Scoop on Glass Recycling During Quarantine: Updates on PRC Glass Recycling Program. For general information about PRC’s Glass Recycling Program, visit the program homepage.