Those recycling at the Windham Solid Waste Management District are now being kindly asked to separate glass bottles and jars. “It’s purely voluntary,” said Bob Spencer, executive director of the district. “It’s really about trying to reduce our operating costs.” The glass recycling program’s return after a two-year hiatus will bring an additional box to the drop-off area across from the boxes for single-stream and cardboard. District staff are handing out flyers about the program.
Previously, the district ran a successful glass recycling program. The material would be taken to a fiberglass manufacturing plant in Quebec. “They got more and more stringent about the quality to the point where we couldn’t maintain it,” Spencer said, noting the low tolerance of the fiberglass manufacturing process for contamination with other types of glass, such as ceramics, candles and beverage glasses.
Spencer said the district previously diverted nearly 7 tons of glass a month from single-stream recycling, saving about $700 or $800 a year. Now that recycling costs have gone up over the last two years, the savings could be even more if the district collects the same quantity.