Glass Recycling Coming to Adams County!

Did you know that most waste haulers serving Adams County do not permit customers to place glass into recycling bins? If they do, glass placed in curbside recycling bins is transported to a sorting facility, separated, and then transported to the landfill. It is not recycled. Making matters worse, the glass is transported twice. Further, at this time, there are no drop-off locations for glass recycling in the County. This is unfortunate since glass is infinitely recyclable. It can be recycled over and over again without degradation in quality. When processing new glass, less raw materials and energy are required when recycled glass is added to the mix.

But there is great news on the horizon!

A glass recycling drop-off site is coming to Adams County this summer.

In celebration of Earth Day, the County of Adams received a grant from the Adams County Community Foundation’s Fund for the Environment to help construct a glass recycling drop-off site. The County plans to have the site open before summer’s end.

With the start date approaching, the county has given the green light to local grassroots organizers to distribute recycling bins for glass. The recycling bins themselves are recycled, donated by the City of Harrisburg to support this effort. So, if you peel back the “Adams County Recycles” sticker and see City of Harrisburg, don’t be alarmed. The bins are legit.

If you want to be one of the first to receive a glass recycling bin, come pick one up at the Adams County Farmers Market on July 15. On that day, the market, in partnership with Gettysburg Green Gathering, hosts its first Adams County Homesteading & Green Living Expo. Seems like a perfect fit for introducing glass recycling in Adams County.

If you intend to participate, be aware that only glass bottles and jars will be accepted at the drop-off site. No plate glass, mirrors, auto glass, ceramics, or china will be accepted. Glass containers must be empty and contain no hazardous residue. For safety reasons, it’s preferable, but not required, that the containers not be broken.

Once sufficient glass is collected at the new drop-off site, vendors will pick up and transport the glass to a processing facility for recycling at no charge to the county. The glass will be recycled into new glass. As an added benefit, the county could qualify for “performance grants” from PA Department of Environmental Protection, with awards determined based on the tonnage of glass recycled. 

The glass recycling drop-off site is being readied off Granite Station Rd., near the Adams County Prison. Once the site opens, it will be staffed by volunteers and open a couple times per month. Operation hours will depend on the availability of trained volunteers. If you’d like to learn more about being a volunteer, sign-up when you pick up your bin or email info@gettysburggreengathering.com.

So, please stop sending your valuable waste glass to landfills! With or without an official bin, start saving your used glass containers now. The glass recycling drop-off site is opening soon.