Glass recycling resumes in Seattle

SEATTLE — After a months-long hiatus, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) said glass placed in residential customers’ blue bins is being recycled into products again.

Seattle stopped recycling glass late last year when Ardagh Glass Packaging, a major local bottle manufacturing plant, closed, and there was nowhere nearby to send the recycled glass.

The city and its recycling partners found a solution through several key updates:

Sibelco, a global glass recycler based in Seattle, upgraded its rail transportation system

New commercial partners in the western U.S. are now buying recycled glass

SPU worked with Republic Services, which operates the SODO recycling center, to make sure clean and sorted glass is sent to the correct destinations.

SPU said that by resuming glass recycling, valuable materials are kept out of landfills, and emissions and energy use are reduced.

Now that glass is being recycled again, here are some tips to help:

• Keep glass bottles and jars out of the trash
• Rinse the bottles and jars out. Make sure they’re clean, dry, and empty when you put them in your blue bin.
• Don’t contaminate glass with food, caps, and other materials.