And, check back for more ways to participate on the GPI website. We’ll post activities daily as Recycle Glass Week approaches.

The Glass Packaging Institute kicks off Recycle Glass Week with four chances to meet “Little Bottle” in New York City. Recycle with Little Bottle at the Madison Square Park Concert Series on two weekends. Meet up with him at the Today Show, or spot him on the streets of NYC for a photo op. Later in the week, GPI recognizes its “Friends of Glass.” Here are the details:

Event: Recycle in NYC’s Madison Square Park
Dates: Saturday, September 19th;
Saturday, September 26th

Stop by and recycle your empty glass containers, cans, and plastic bottles for a chance to receive cool prizes!

GPI and TOMRA, a provider of reverse vending machines for collecting and sorting empty beverage containers for recycling, along with VOSS Water, are teaming up in NYC for the Madison Square Park Concert Series, a 5-week series of FREE concerts in the park sponsored by the Madison Square Park Conservancy.

On two Saturdays, September 19th and 26th, GPI and TOMRA representatives, along with Little Bottle, will provide a container recycling kiosk for park visitors to use during the day and at the concerts. And did we mention there’ll be prizes for some lucky recyclers?

Event: Where’s Little Bottle?
Date: Sunday, September 20th

Little Bottle will roam NYC, stopping at celebrated landmarks. If you spot him, stop him. Little Bottle will be posing for pictures, and you could see yours on the GPI website during Recycle Glass Week!

Event: Meet us at the Today Show
Date: Monday, September 21st

It’s been a lifelong dream of Little Bottle’s to meet Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Al Roker and the rest of the Today Show crew. Little Bottle is hoping to make his dreams come true on Monday, September 21st in the outdoor broadcast area of Rockefeller Center. Stop by and say “hi” and help him spread the word about the benefits of glass container recycling.

2009 “Friends of Glass” Announced
Date: Wednesday September 23rd

GPI honors a website, hospitality organization, legislator, community, and best friends of glass for making innovative and significant efforts to promote or participate in glass container recycling. Find out who the honorees are and what they’re doing to make a difference. For More Ways to Participate in Recycle Glass Week, Get our Top 10 List

Clear Choice Award Winners Announced September 22, 2009

The entries are in, but who will win?

Be the first to find out the winners of GPI’s 2009 Clear Choice Awards on Tuesday, September 22nd at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Winners will be announced on the GPI website through a satellite video presentation. The 100th viewer will receive a $100 American Express gift card and everybody will get an inside look at the 2009 top glass container designs in North America. Don’t miss out. Mark your calendars.

PACKAGING TRENDS

Global Research Finds Consumers Rank Glass as Superior Packaging

New global research, commissioned by O-I, a worldwide glass container manufacturer, reveals that consumers around the world overwhelmingly prefer glass to other forms of packaging. However, consumers may struggle to find their favorite brands packaged in glass.

More than 2,900 consumers in nine countries were polled to learn about their packaging preferences. Results confirm that packaging does matter and that consumer choose glass first. Preference for glass ranges from 93.5% for wine to 66% for non-alcoholic beverages. Research also revealed that consumers rank glass packaging as superior to other packaging materials on five key factors: purity, safety, quality, versatility, and recyclability. More.

Australia Glass Baby Bottle Giveaway Underscores Consumer Preference

O-I, a worldwide glass container manufacturer, teamed with Mother and Baby magazine to educate the community and new mothers in Australia about the benefits of glass packaging. O-I invited new mothers to take a short glass perceptions survey, and in return, receive a free O-I glass sample pack containing glass baby bottles. In less than a week, more than 7,500 people responded to the giveaway. 'We set out to learn if there was a demand for glass baby bottles in Australia and quickly found that this demographic genuinely cared about their packaging choices across the board—with glass the clear preference,' said Dieter Lehmann, communications manager, O-I Asia Pacific.

Vitro Creates New Glass Bottle for Coca-Cola Zero in Mexico

Vitro Packaging has helped Coca-Cola launch Coca-Cola Zero in non-returnable 8 oz. glass containers in Mexico. The container uses a heat transfer label, which has never been used in the Mexican market before. The product’s re-launch seeks to bring a new image to Coca-Cola Zero, yet respect its essential characteristic: glass with the characteristic Georgia green color and the world-renowned contour bottle shape. More

LEGISLATION

CA Targets GHG Reduction and Commercial Sector Recycling

The California Air Resources Board initiated a rule making process for a 2006 law that mandates universal commercial waste recycling. The original intent of the law was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California and mandates recycling on the basis of GHG reduction. The commercial sector in California generates more than half of the solid waste in the state, and accounts for about 70% of waste disposed, but is not directly subject to the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989. The new requirements would apply to businesses with more than 100 full-time employees. More

GLASS RECYCLING

Whatever Happens in Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Makes Sure Your Glass Bottles are Recycled

When Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and THEhotel (seen in photo at left) were built ten and six years ago, the stage was set for poolside days and exciting nightlife, but not recycling.

All that changed in August 2007, and in 2008, they recycled a total of 6.6 million pounds, including 233,600 pounds (116.8 tons) of glass on the two properties. Now they let guests know they are “Riding the Green Wave.”

Their recycling rate in 2007, the year they began, was 6.5%; in 2008 17.6% and for 2009, they are on track to almost double that. In addition to glass, other containers and mixed paper, they recycled 2.2 million pounds of cardboard in 2008 and 1.7 million pounds of food, which is sent to a local pig farm. More

Container Recycling Institute Announces New Executive Director

The Container Recycling Institute has appointed Susan V. Collins as the new executive director. Collins has worked in the industry for 20 years and is a past board member of the California Resource Recovery Association.

'This is an exciting time for the Container Recycling Institute, as we work toward finding new solutions to increase and improve beverage container recycling,' said Tex Corley, chair of CRI's board, and president and CEO of Houston-based Strategic Materials, Inc. 'Susan's leadership and background will drive container recycling solutions that will build both a more sustainable environment and a more sustainable economy.' More

Tomra Pacific to Open CA Retail Recycling Center

Tomra Pacific Inc., a unit of TOMRA of North America, a provider of advanced recycling solutions, has announced that it will open a RePlanet recycling center in Tustin, Calif., on the grounds of an Albertson’s supermarket. This new center will join over 440 existing Replanet centers in California.

Located in the supermarket’s parking lot, The RePlanet center will house four bulk reverse vending machines that consumers can use to deposit their used glass, plastic, and metal beverage containers. In return, consumers will receive vouchers to bring inside the Albertson’s store to redeem their California Redemption Value (CRV) bottle deposits. More

1000 WORDS

Reused Glass Bottles Make a Trendy Design Statement

The re-nest blog gives you six ways to reuse your glass bottles and jars for stunning—and funky—architectural designs. More