GLASS CONTAINERS / MIXED GLASS

STATE OF MATERIAL STREAM

In 2018, glass generation in all products was 12.3 million tons in the United States (4.2% of all Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation). The total amount of glass combusted in 2018 was 1.6 million tons (4.8% of all MSW combusted for energy recover that year). In that same year, landfills received 7.6 million tons of glass (5.2% of all MSW landfilled).

EPA

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

  • Significantly decrease contamination by removing glass from single-stream curbside collection.
  • Recover glass material as a separate material stream.
  • Establish commercial collection of glass.
  • Capitalize on the increasing demand for glass.
  • Utilize glass as a construction/structural material, pollution filtration material, and in hydroponic farming.
  • Trend back towards glass containers over plastic.

INSPIRING PROGRESS / COMPANIES FINDING SOLUTIONS