Indianapolis Commercial District Launches Bar/Restaurant Recycling

Broad Ripple Village, a commercial district in a north Indianapolis, Indiana neighborhood, began recycling glass bottles at ten bars and restaurants in September 2008, the first phase of a larger recycling initiative.

o far, they are generating about 7-8 tons of primarily amber and some green glass each month. Strategic Materials, Inc. is providing an 18-cubic yard collection container for the recycled glass, which is then marketed for use in making new bottles and jars.

Broad Ripple Village is providing inside glass bottle collection bins at each of the participating restaurants using funds they received from the Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program. Employees take the full collection bins and dump them into the roll-off container, which is housed in an alley convenient to the businesses. SMI hauls it about every other week at no charge.

“We’re working to expand recycling to the restaurants in the surrounding blocks,” says Brenda Rising-Moore, Owner of Union Jack Pub, who is leading the glass recycling effort. There are 96 bars and other eating establishments in the Village.

“At the end of November, we also invited the surrounding residential community to use the roll-off container for glass recycling drop off,” says Rising-Moore. With the addition of more restaurants and residential use, they expect to add additional roll-off containers in the near future. They are in talks with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management about grants and other funding options for additional inside bins and collection containers.

“I did the initial training of bar and restaurant owners and employees about the program,” says Rising-Moore, “but we’re going to have to step up with additional education to residents and outreach to the other businesses in the Village.”