The City of Fargo Solid Waste Department has tentatively agreed with MinnKota Recycling to remove glass from all-in-one recycling beginning on March 6. The City of Moorhead is planning to incorporate this change on March 6 as well. Free curbside recycling began in the city of Fargo in 2009; items needed to be sorted at that time. All-in-one recycling started in 2017 and the city says participation rates went from 65% to 85-90%.
MinnKota Recycling recently requested to remove glass from the all-in-one recycling. They say glass recycling is phasing out due to economic factors:
- Poor market value
- The weight of glass (heaviest when compared to plastic or cardboard)
- Compactor trucks become burdened by the weight of the glass
- Distance between Fargo and the regional material recovery facilities in Minneapolis. With the price of gas, it’s become unfavorable to transport that much weight in glass.
Right now, Solid Waste Director Scott Olson says the glass is crushed in the compactor, which eliminates its own value for sale, and the value of the other materials if glass shards become stuck in cardboard, magazines, plastic, etc. Olson says operators have also voiced concerns that glass can pose a danger to solid waste employees. If people still want to recycle glass, they can do so at any of the 20 drop sites around Fargo. Olson says this is the best way to ensure that recycled glass can be repurposed. Glass from the drop sites will be used at the bottom of the Fargo Landfill as a filter layer, which means the city will no longer have to purchase sand for a filter layer.
To read the full story, visit https://www.valleynewslive.com/2023/02/13/city-fargo-doing-away-with-glass-all-in-one-recycling/.
Author: Gretchen Hjelmstad, Valley News Live
Image: City of Fargo