September 23, 2009 - City of Fort Collins, Colorado, Receives Environmental Recognition for Recycling Achievements

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2009

Contact: Kristen LeKander
Kristen@Lindberggrp.com
(703) 778 - 7644

City of Fort Collins, CO, Receives Environmental Recognition for Recycling Achievements
GPI provides “Friends of Glass” Recognition for Glass Container Recycling Initiatives

Alexandria, September 23, 2009 - The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is proud to recognize the City of Fort Collins, CO, (and its Natural Resources Department) as a model community for its achievements in making significant and innovative efforts to promote or participate in glass container recycling for bottle-to-bottle use. City of Fort Collins, CO, is among the seven “Friends of Glass” recognized by GPI during Recycle Glass Week, September 21 - 27, 2009.

The City of Fort Collins, and its local partners, have secured state rebates to improve the quality and quantity of recycled glass, done research on best practices for glass collection, and initiated many innovative curbside and commercial recycling techniques as well as public education outreach to improve glass recycling and ensure that it is of sufficient quality to be returned to manufacturers for new glass bottles and jars.

According to Susie Gordon, Sr. Environmental Planner in Fort Collins, “When we switched over to single-stream recycling in 2007, less glass from our recycling programs was making it in good enough condition to use in manufacturing new bottles - only about 25-50%, according to our study. We feel obliged to disclose this information - people go to lot of effort to rinse out their glass jars and bottles - and to address it by providing as many glass drop-off sites as possible. We promise people that when they go to the trouble to separate their glass and use the drop-off sites, nearly 100% of it will get recycled. We now have seven glass-only bins set up in the Fort Collins/Loveland area, with more coming on-line. It’s been amazing to see how tonnages have skyrocketed over the past year!”

From 2008, when there was only one separated-glass collection bin in the area, the volume of glass grew from 48 tons to 230 tons; if collection rates stay on course, the final volume in 2009 is likely to weigh in at 460 tons of material that will be delivered to the Rocky Mountain Bottle Company in Wheatridge, Colorado.

To help “brand” the program, organizers have used school-bus yellow painted bins, a “Be World Class, Sort Your Class” logo, and a spokes-dude whose karma is elevated by recycling clean glass. Other projects have been undertaken with community partners to address commercial generators. In the Old Town district, a dozen bars and restaurants are signed up to have their separated glass collected by Rob’s Bike Courier service. The sponsoring partner is a favorite local company, New Belgium Brewing, which combines the bar “cullet” with its own loads of amber glass to be sent to Rocky Mountain Bottle Company for recycling. As long as Colorado State University students continue to drink a healthy share of brewski, Fort Collins anticipates even more opportunity to divert bottles to the segregated glass “stream”; plans are in the making for a community glass recycling challenge, greater collaboration with other hometown breweries, and installation of additional drop-off sites throughout the community.

“We believe that partnerships with ‘Friends of Glass’ like the City of Fort Collins Natural Resources Department are imperative to facilitating better collection and recycling processes for glass bottle-to-bottle recycling to help save energy and our environment,” said Joseph Cattaneo, president of the Glass Packaging Institute. “The glass container industry thanks our 2009 ‘Friends of Glass’ for their work on behalf of glass container recycling and encourages other communities and organizations to follow their lead.”

This year, GPI recognizes “Friends of Glass” in five categories: Earth911.com (website); the Hyatt Regency Atlanta (hospitality industry); the City of Ft. Collins, Colorado, Natural Resource Department (community); Representative Jay Inslee (legislator); and “Best Friends of Glass,” including Sierra Nevada Brewing Company; McIlhenny Company, makers of TABASCO® Brand Products; and Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.

Recycle Glass Week is an awareness event aimed to educate consumers about the environmental benefits of and to encourage participation in glass container recycling to help save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the industry’s nationwide goal of using 50 percent recycled content in the manufacture of new glass bottles and jars by 2013. Doubling the U.S. glass container recycling rate (28 percent in 2007) would allow manufacturers to use 50 percent recycled glass to make new glass containers, saving enough energy to power 21,978 homes for one year and removing 181,550 tons of waste from landfills every month.

During Recycle Glass Week, GPI and its member companies are also holding nationwide glass recycling-related activities; providing consumers with information and opportunities to hold their own recycling events; and announcing the winners of its 2009 Clear Choice Awards.

Today, glass is the proven form of packaging for those who are looking for sustainability, purity, and recyclability. Glass is made from all-natural, sustainable raw materials and it can be recycled again and again without loss of quality or purity. Reuse of post-consumer recycled glass containers minimizes consumption of raw materials, lessens the industry’s demand for energy, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information on upcoming Recycle Glass Week activities and events, please go to www.gpi.org. For more information on the City of Ft. Collins, CO, glass recycling program, please visit http://www.fcgov.com/recycling/pdf/20080826_glass_study_final_report.pdf and http://www.fcgov.com/recycling.

The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is the trade association representing the North American glass container industry. Through GPI, glass container manufacturers speak with one voice to advocate industry standards, promote sound environmental policies and educate packaging professionals. www.gpi.org

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