Vanderburgh County residents want a municipal glass recycling program that is beneficial to the environment and cost effective for taxpayers. 

Glass is an ideal material for recycling because it can be infinitely recycled without downgrading in quality. (And materials to make glass aren’t  renewable.) Additionally, producing products from recycled glass uses 40% less energy than making new glass. According to Glass Packing Institute, 10 MILLION metric tons of glass are disposed of every year in the US, and yet only 33% of waste glass gets recycled, which pales in comparison with the 90% recycling rate in Switzerland, Germany, and other European countries. 

Our municipal landfill only has about 50 years left, and we are continuing to deplete an already limited resource when we improperly dispose of recyclable goods. 

By simply recycling glass we can:

• reduce emissions of air and water pollution by 20%-40%
• conserve natural resources
• extend the life of our landfill