This page provides links to reports and websites containing useful information about recycling in general and glass recycling in particular. Some of the information about glass recycling in these linked sites refers to the "necessity" to color sort recycled glass cullet in order to use the cullet in glass container manufacturing. Obviously, that requirement has been eliminated with the development of GMG's patented CulChrome ® technology as described on this website.
Reports on Recycling
EPA Fact Sheet on Glass in the Waste Stream
This document provides a broad overview of glass in the waste stream and highlights key issues in glass recycling as of 2003. http://www.epa.gov/msw/glass.htm
EPA's 2003 Report on Municipal Solid Waste
This report provides detailed information about the U.S. waste stream based on data collected from 1960 through 2003. It provides a detailed breakdown of each element of the waste stream (glass, aluminum, paper, etc.) and reports on the recycling rates for each material. (EPA had planned to update this report every two years, but has not done so since 2003). http://www.epa.gov/garbage/msw99.htm
New York City Reports on Recycling
New York City recently decided to resume glass recycling in 2007 (250,000 tons a year) as part of its waste disposal operation. The city's Department of Sanitation has conducted extensive research on all of the issues related to waste disposal and recycling in large cities. All of its reports on these issues are available at this linked and they offer a wealth of useful information. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dsny/html/reports/recywprpts.shtml#1
Recycling Websites
Solid Waste & Recycling magazine (Canada)
This magazine's website offers comprehensive information on recycling issues in Canada. Of particular interest is its coverage of the intense debate in Ontario over problems with extracting glass from commingled collection for re-use in container manufacturing. The site offers a 60-day free trial of its newsletters. For a $49 annual subscription you get e-mail updates on topics you select. http://www.solidwastemag.com/
Container Recycling Institute
The CRI is a Washington, DC based non-profit that studies and promotes programs "that increase recovery and recycling of beverage containers and shift the social and environmental costs associated with manufacturing, recycling and disposal of container and packaging waste from government and taxpayers to producers and consumers." In other words, this group is primarily about pushing bottle bill legislation. http://www.container-recycling.org/
Bottle Bill Resource Guide
This site, maintained by the Container Recycling Institute, provides detailed information on bottle bill legislation across the United States. Whether or not you believe bottle bill legislation is the best way to promote glass recycling, this site offers a lot of information on what's happened in states that have adopted these laws and which states are considering them. http://www.bottlebill.org/
National Recycling Coalition
This is the website for the nation's best-known recycling advocacy group. More information is available on the site if you're a member, but individuals can join for as little as $55 a year. http://www.nrc-recycle.org/default.htm
RecycleBank
Check out this link to see what happens when two young entrepreneurs come up with the idea to "pay" people to recycle by offering them coupons from national retailers like Home Depot, Coke and Starbucks. Not surprisingly, they increase recycling rates dramatically. This program has been amazingly successful and has municipalities across the country begging RecycleBank to bring their innovative program to their communities. You'll be seeing and hearing a lot about this company in the months and years ahead. http://www.recyclebank.com/home.cfm
Waste & Resources Action Programme (UK)
Check out the website of this British organization (WRAP) to see what a well-organized and well-funded national recycling program can accomplish. http://www.wrap.org.uk/
Let's Recycle Glass (UK)
This British website is dedicated to news about glass recycling developments in the UK and contains a wealth of useful information and glass recycling news. They still haven't caught on to the potential benefits of GMG's CulChrome ® technology, but we're working on it. http://www.letsrecycle.com/materials/glass/index.jsp
