Recycling Glass in Arlington

Glass is one of the heaviest items in Arlington’s residential recycling stream, making up about 22 percent of the total. It has a negative market value in this region because of lack of nearby glass processing facilities and the difficulty with separating it from other recyclables.

Glass that is placed in the blue carts will be separated from other recyclables at the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) and disposed of as residue in a landfill.

Glass breaks during the recycling collection process, and also breaks while moving through the MRF, often becoming so small that it falls through the screens that are used to separate materials from one another. This glass, and the glass that makes it to the end of the process, is often contaminated with small scraps of paper, plastics, food waste and other residue, making it unmarketable. Glass can also cross-contaminate processed recyclables and is frequently found inside recovered paper and cardboard bales.

The trash collected from Arlington’s black carts is delivered to a waste-to-energy facility in Alexandria where it is combusted and converted to energy. The melted glass is mixed with ash from the combustion process and taken to an ash monofill for final disposal.

The County’s five glass drop-off sites offer glass-only dumpsters. Glass deposited in these presorted containers, is now picked up by a recycling firm, which pays Arlington for the material.

Although additional sites are unlikely at this point, the County will continue to explore opportunities to add drop-offs.

While glass bottles and jars collected in single-stream programs are now heading to disposal, plastic food and beverage bottles and containers, and plastic bottles and containers for soap, detergent, shampoo, etc., are all very recyclable and have solid end markets. Arlingtonians should still try to limit the use of single-use plastics such as straws and cup lids, Styrofoam cups, and retail bags. To minimize impact on the environment, we should follow the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse, recycle/compost, waste to energy and landfilling.

The cost analysis for this decision was based on two data points and reinforced by the facts that glass is not being recycled in the region and that according to the County contract with the processing facility, glass has no market value. The cost to process a ton of recyclables is $72 per ton and the cost to dispose of the same material as trash is $43.16 per ton. The County saves $28.84 for each ton of glass diverted from the recycling stream to the waste stream.

In addition to removing glass, residents can expect increased education about minimizing contamination in the recycling stream. Commodity markets are demanding cleaner material and material cleanliness starts with what is placed in the blue recycling cart. The County is continuously reviewing opportunities to increase materials that can be recycled from the waste stream as markets and processes become available.

The cost to process a ton of recyclables [as of 2019] is $72 per ton and the cost to dispose of the same material as trash is $43.16 per ton. The County saves $28.84 for each ton of glass diverted from the recycling stream to the waste stream.

Removing glass will not impact the current HSWR. The savings achieved by removing glass from the recycling stream will help offset the reduced revenues resulting from lower commodity markets for other recyclables. However, the savings from glass will be factored into calculating next year’s HSWR.

At this time, the County is encouraging residents to place glass in the trash but will not be enforcing the removal of glass through the County Ordinance. The County only provides weekly curbside trash and recycling collection services to all single-family homes, duplexes and some town houses. Those who live in areas where the County does not provide trash and recycling collection services should check with their service provider on what is and is not accepted. Per County Board action and Manager direction, glass is officially removed from the required recycling list in the County Code on Aug. 1, 2019.

Prince William County in this area has begun to encourage residents to dispose of glass in the trash instead of the recycling bin. Across the country, there are other local governments that have already removed glass from their recycling collection services.

1. Try to avoid buying food and beverages packaged in glass. Look for products packaged in aluminum, cartons, or recyclable plastics.
2. Reuse whatever glass if you can (i.e. mason jars).
3. Keep glass separate from your other recyclables and drop it off at County recycling centers for proper recycling.
4. Place glass in the trash.

The County conducts quarterly waste sorts of random samples. This sample will give us a snapshot of our relative progress quarter by quarter.