Roeland Park has approved a pilot program with Ripple Glass, a local glass recycling company, to offer curbside glass pickup to 600 households in the city. Erin Winn, assistant city administrator, said the city council approved a six-month pilot program that’s expected to begin Oct. 1. Roeland Park is working with Ripple Glass to finalize the scope and timeline, though which particular area of the city the pilot will be conducted has not been finalized.
“The city is working to collect data on current recycling habits — as well as Ripple operational capacity — to determine which service collection area will be selected for the pilot,” Winn said in an email to the Shawnee Mission Post. The city is anticipating spending about $1,500 for the pilot program, Winn said.
Residents won’t have to pay for anything, and the city will revisit the topic at the end of the six-month pilot, she said, to potentially discuss making it permanent and more citywide. Roeland Park isn’t the first city to attempt a curbside glass pilot program, but it remains a rare service for northeast Johnson County residents.
Mission Woods started offering curbside glass recycling in 2015, becoming the first northeast Johnson County city with this service. Mayor Darrell Franklin confirmed the city is still offering the service, and it appears that small community of roughly 200 people is the only northeast Johnson County city currently with a permanent curbside glass program.