On July 28, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, the Department of Public Works (DPW), the Downtown DC Business Improvement District, and the American Beverage Association kicked off a six-month recycling pilot featuring 25 blue recycling containers placed in high-traffic areas throughout the downtown.

“This initiative is all about boosting the District’s recycling rate and becoming a national leader as one of the few major cities to offer public street recycling,” said Mayor Fenty.

The 25 vibrant blue metal recycling receptacles, provided by DPW, will accept clean paper, aluminum cans, and plastic and glass bottles and will include special lids with signage indicating they are for recycling only.
 
“DPW conducted a recent study that shows we are actually ahead of the national average in terms of our recycling rate for newspapers and plastic and glass bottles, but we still have work to do,” said DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr. More

Survey Finds Growth in Single-Stream Recycling

A recent American Forest & Paper Association survey to measure and track access to community-level paper recycling finds that 87% of the U.S. population have access to either curbside or drop-off recycling programs, with clear growth in curbside programs.

Single-stream recycling, where all recyclable materials are collected in one container, has grown from 29% of the population in 2005 to 50% in 2007. In addition, 5% of programs with dual-stream or curb-sort collection plan to transition to single-stream in the near future. Get the full report

WRAP Issues “Good Practice Guidance” for Glass Recycling

Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has released guidance to local authorities to help them boost the quality, economics, and environmental benefits of glass container collection and recycling. The 20-page Good Practice Guidance emphasizes how a sustainable service for collecting glass of the best possible quality for end markets can provide advantages in terms of saving money, energy, and valuable resources.

“How waste glass is collected can have a huge impact on its subsequent re-use and end markets. So we are keen to work with local authority officers and waste management contractors to help to make this a success,” says Marcus Gover, WRAP Market Development Programme Director. The document was developed following significant research into glass collection and reprocessing. Get the Guide

PACKAGING TRENDS

Study Points to Small Decline in Organic Purchases

A new national study, “The Many Faces of Organic: 2008,” finds that overall consumer use of organics dropped from 73% of the population buying organics in 2006 to 69% in 2008. While the report identified this collective decline, they also point out that the appeal of organics is strengthening with the “core” organic consumer. These consumers are increasing organics purchases in a variety of categories. The study was conducted by The Hartman Group, a marketing research firm. Get report

LEGISLATION

Sacramento Businesses Told to Recycle

According to the Sacramento Bee, the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department is now enforcing an ordinance requiring businesses to recycle. Violators are being fined up to $1,000/day. Waste haulers report that recyclable materials have increased 22% in the past 12 months.

The ordinance, adopted in April 2007, requires all businesses and non-residential properties that subscribe to garbage service of 4-cubic yards or more/week to have a recycling program. Read article

New NCSL President Author of NC’s ABC Permit Holder Recycling Law

North Carolina Speaker of the House Joe Hackney was recently sworn as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a bipartisan organization that serves the nation's 7,382 state lawmakers. As the voice of state legislatures within the nation’s federal system of government, NCSL is poised to tackle many challenges during his 12-month tenure.

During the 2005 legislative session, Speaker Hackney authored NC House Bill 1518, which required holders of certain Alcoholic Beverage Control permits to separate, store and recycle all recyclable beverage containers. The bill was amended in 2007, ratified as House Bill 267 and went into effect January 1, 2008.

RISE Act Resurfaces in Energy Extenders Legislation

A portion of the Recycling Investment Saves Energy (RISE) Act was placed into the “energy extenders” package, recently considered by the full Senate. The RISE Act as placed in the bill would provide a 50% accelerated depreciation on machinery and equipment used to process or recycle glass containers, as well as other recyclable material. The bill, however, failed to garner the necessary 60 votes. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated he may bring up the legislation for another vote in September.

GLASS RECYCLING

Hawaii Recovers Record-Breaking 72% of Beverage Containers

In fiscal year 2008, Hawaii’s beverage container recycling reached 72%—up four percentage points from last year. According to the state’s Department of Health under the Island’s “Hi-5” deposit program, more than 680 million containers were diverted for recycling. A recent statewide survey by DOH also found the number of overall people recycling is up from 2006 to 2008. More

Recycle Runway Alights at Pittsburgh Airport

Recycle Runway will exhibit at the Pittsburgh International Airport from August - December 2008 in Concourse C and D. The launch coincides with the National Recycling Congress in September at the Pittsburgh Convention Center.

Recycle Runway is a traveling exhibit of custom-designed recycled garments, including glass, showcased around the country to promote recycling efforts and sustainability. It was previously at the Albuquerque Airport.

Commissioned by global organizations including Toyota®, Target®, the Glass Packaging Institute and Coca-Cola®, the Recycle Runway™ garments were created to showcase the creativity of sustainability by combining the art of haute couture and environmental education. More

Denver Recycler Uses Recycled Glass for Parking Lot

Alpine Waste & Recycling’s Altogether Recycling™ plant has repaved a large section of its parking lot using recycled glass from its own plant.

The porous pavement system, called FilterPave™ and developed by Denver-based Kaul Corp. and Presto Products Geosystems of Appleton, Wis. Is made from 100% recycled post-consumer glass solidified with a high-strength, flexible bonding agent in a recycled plastic structure.

“The system creates a colorful mosaic of specially processed glass aggregate that is structurally stable and as completely safe for walking or driving as any traditional surface,” says James Debney, general manager and president of Presto Products Co. More

1000 WORDS

Glass Houses Prove Yet Another Reuse Option for Glass Containers

See more glass bottle houses from around the world

Copyright © 2008 Glass Packaging Institute 

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