Cincinnati Bars and Restaurants Call for Glass Recycling Program
Since the fall of 2010, Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, Ohio, has offered assistance to bars and restaurants that want to recycle glass bottles and jars. The program is an offshoot of the County’s 2006 “Recycling At Work” program, which helps office buildings set up paper recycling programs.
“We started getting more and more calls from bars and restaurants,” says Holly Christmann, Solid Waste Program Manager. “They wanted to recycle their glass and asked for our help. It was a natural progression to move to this sector to address cardboard and glass recycling.”
Today, 34 bars and restaurants are participating, with a goal to reach 50 by end of summer. The County received an $8,000 grant from Ohio Department of Natural Resources. These funds were used to purchase 23 gallon interior recycling containers, which are provided free to bars and restaurants, as well as customer education resources.
“When we began to formalize the program, we talked to recycling haulers to make sure they could service these accounts,” says Christmann. To date, the majority of bars and restaurants that have started a program are serviced by Rumpke Recycling. “We help set the program up and work with the hauler to get a price for collection,” says Christmann. “In most cases the overall waste management costs stayed the same and in some cases have been less.”
The County also assists in facilitating the resizing of garbage dumpster and arranging for fewer pickups. Establishments can opt for wheeled 90-95 gallon carts with lids or 2-, 4-, or 6-yard containers for final collection. Rumpke takes the glass to its single-stream material recovery facility (MRF) and then to their Dayton glass processing facility. From there, the processed glass is use for glass container manufacturing and fiberglass.
“We also come in and educate the employees,” says Christmann. “It usually takes about five minutes because this generation really understands recycling. It’s a no-brainer.” The County also offers free coasters for the bars to use that tell customers they recycle. For example, 'Are you done with that? Well, we’re not. This bar recycles.' “They love that we offer these and it’s one way to let customers know the establishment is recycling,” says Christmann. “We Recycle Here” door decals are also used to promote recycling.
The County doesn’t have exact tonnage on how much glass has been recycled since the program began, but this initiative has now been incorporated into their regular budget to continue past the grant deadline. “It’s such a good program. We believe in it and are committed to keep it going,” says Christmann. Find out more
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About the institute
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. GPI member companies manufacture glass containers for food, beverage, cosmetic and many other products. GPI also has associate members that represent a broad range of suppliers and closure manufacturers.
