As
of May 31, 2007, all glass recycling has ceased at the Big Blue
Bins in order to make way for new recycling opportunities later
this summer. All glass bins located within Cambria County will be
closed pending replacement by new bins for another material. Please
check back later to find out what we're recycling next!
Frequently
Asked Questions about ending Glass Recycling:
Q:
Why are you ending glass recycling?
A: Since the inception of glass recycling in the County, the quality
of material has been very poor. In order to market the glass that
we collect, all glass has to be the same - clear, food-grade glass
- without any contamination. It is this contamination that presents
us with the greatest problem. The horrible contamination factor
has led to more than half of nearly every load ending up in the
landfill, defeating the purpose of collecting the glass.
Q:
What are these contaminations?
A: Anything that goes into the bin that is not exactly what is specified
is considered a contamination. From other kinds of clear glass to
colored glass bottles, and even plastics, metals and trash are contaminants.
Even broken glass, though unavoidable, can be a contaminant because
the product can not be sorted to remove debris.
Q:
What should we do with glass now?
A: Glass should now be put in with your regular trash for pick-up.
Glass that ends up in the landfill breaks down into sand over time.
The resulting material is not toxic or harmful to the environment.
Nowadays, most containers are made from plastics instead of glass,
and most of these can be recycled.
Q:
Will you no longer collect glass at my house?
A: The Solid Waste Authority does not operate any of the curbside
recycling collections. We can not dictate what is collected at your
house. To our knowledge, no other recycling policies have changed.
If your municipality collects glass, then you are still fine to
set it out.
Q:
What other "thing" are you going to recycle?
A: Though we can not say what it is quite yet, we will be making
a big announcement later this summer once the bins have arrived.
The material we will collect is commonly found around the home and
we will have a much better time marketing it than we have with glass.
If
you have any questions regarding the change in collections,
please call us M-F, 9am to 4pm at 814-472-2109.
