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Container Glass

Each year, approximately 40,000 tons of used container glass is generated in King County, and just slightly more than half is being recycled.¹ Although glass is one of the most commonly recycled materials, a number of barriers exist to improving current and finding new markets for recycling this abundant material.

While barriers exist, end markets for recycled container glass are strong. In addition to being used to manufacture new bottles and containers, recycled glass is often bought for industrial use, especially in construction applications.

Developments in local glass recycling

In 2009, eCullet (external), a post-consumer glass processing facility, opened and began operating in south Seattle. eCullet supplies clean, color-sorted recycled glass products to the adjacent Saint-Gobain glass plant where new glass bottles are manufactured. This development brought an increase to local glass processing capacity and recycling of the glass to a high value end market.

Container Glass Resources

The following is a list of resources intended to give more information about the recycling and reuse of container glass. Organizations listed are not affiliated with or endorsed by King County.

Organizations and Programs

• Glass Packaging Institute recycling information (external)
• Glass Recycling Partnership, National Recycling Coalition (external)
• Container Recycling Institute (external)
• Recycler's World - Glass and fiberglass recycling section (external)

Reports

• 2006 Market Assessment for Recyclable Materials in King County (PDF, 595 K K)
  King County Solid Waste Division, Waste Monitoring Program - Chapter 5 Glass, page 40
• 2006 Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Assessment (PDF, 384 K)
  This assessment quantifies and characterizes the commingled material delivered to four Puget Sound Area MRF's from residential and commercial sources, as well as the material that comes out of the MRF's as product or as residual.