Get Excited for Recycled Glass Week!
Following the success of last year’s Recycled Glass Day, the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is hosting Recycled Glass Week Sept. 21-27 to encourage glass recycling across the country.
“We are asking consumers to recycle their glass bottles and jars to help reduce the amount of recyclable materials entering landfills and help create a ‘greener’ future,” said Glass Packaging Institute President Joseph Cattaneo.
In anticipation of Recycled Glass Week, the GPI compiled a list of 10 ways to get involved in the festivities. Some of the Recycle Glass Week events include:
Recycle Glass Week YouTube Competition: The competition requires a 30-second YouTube video about the benefits of glass container recycling to be created, and winners will receive $2,000, $1,000 or $500. The submission deadline has been extended to Sept. 11. Check out last year’s winner.
Recycled glass is substituted for up to 70 percent of raw materials in the glass manufacturing industry, according to the GPI. Photo: Flickr/Mr_Beaver
Local Shindigs: Collection events and competitions will be held to encourage glass recycling across the U.S. Events are currently scheduled for Florida, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Oklahoma. Some of the highlights include:
- Recycling and prizes during the Madison Square Park Concert Series on Sept. 19 and 26
- Recycling at Cliff’s Bar and Grill in Jacksonville, Fla.
- An employee competition benefiting a local food bank in Winchester, Indiana
Friends of Glass Awards: The 2009 winners of the “Friends of Glass” awards will be announced Sept. 23. The GPI will honor a Web site, hospitality organization, legislator, community and best friends of glass for making innovative and significant efforts to promote or participate in glass container recycling.
Clear Choice Awards: The 2009 winners of the “Clear Choice” awards will be announced Sept. 22. Since 1989, the Clear Choice Awards has honored consumer product goods manufacturers who expand the frontiers of glass packaging design by using glass containers in innovative ways
Through creating more awareness about the environmental benefits of glass container recycling, GPI members hope to help the industry reach a nationwide goal of 50 percent recycled content in the manufacturing of new glass bottles and jars by 2013. Using the EPA’s benefits calculator, GPI estimates energy savings from using 50 percent recycled content in all glass packages manufactured in the U.S. could save enough energy to power over 45,000 households for a year.
During the same week, FEVE (the European Glass Packaging Federation) will also hold “Choose Glass Week” in several European countries, creating an international platform to promote the benefits of and encourage glass container recycling in late September.
As of June 17th 2011 we have upgraded our comment system to use Facebook comments. The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.
E. Talley
posted on November 15th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I want my county to recycle glass. How do I go about selling this great contribution to our enviornment.
Off hand, I know it will be costly to move glass. Glass is heavier than paper, plastic and aluminum.
Give me some political advice to put this on the county/city officials agenda. I am a homemaker, can I do this from home? and make a profit?
Ed Crupar
posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 9:45 am
I am a soon-to-be retired firefighter am I am considering opening a glass recycling plant here in Florida. I am not sure of what the future holds but I feel that the byproduct of crushing the glass can be beneficial to many that want to use it for landscape design, craft design, etc. I would appreciate input from those of you that are already doing this or from those of you that have creative input on this idea as to marketing, distribution, pick-up vs drop off facility, etc. So far I am looking at a location in the upper Keys and another location in the Cocoa Beach area (just east of Orlando). Please let me hear what you have to say at medic4178@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Ed Crupar