Glass Recycling Program

RECYCLE YOUR GLASS WITH US!

The Lawrence-Mercer Recycling/Solid Waste Department has a new initiative focused on the recycling of glass products. The “Glass not Trash” program provides the public with an ongoing recycling option for food and beverage containers that supports the manufacturing of new glass. This program is a public service offered by the County Commissioners to provide recycling opportunities for glass bottles, jugs and jars.

LOOK FOR THE PURPLE BIN AT A COLLECTION SITE NEAR YOU!

Source-separated glass (glass collected separately from other recyclables) is the most effective way to collect glass containers for recycling. It saves time, money, and energy. Glass from our purple bin is virtually 98-100% recyclable into new glass bottles and jars. Curbside collection of single stream glass (all recyclables mixed together) can only recover about 60-70% of this glass for recycling.

Source-Separated Glass	Single Stream Glass

WHY GLASS?

Glass is a great choice for food and beverage packaging. Glass preserves flavors well and does not break down or leach chemicals into your product. It can be recycled endlessly without loss of quality or purity.

Residents have been requesting more options to recycle glass locally. Mercer and Lawrence County answered this request by providing residents with an option to see their glass recycled into new glass products and keep this resource out of our landfills. We want you to be confident and know your glass is being recycled when you use our program.

WHAT TYPES OF GLASS CAN I RECYCLE?

Only GLASS FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONTAINERS in the form of GLASS BOTTLES, JUGS, AND JARS are acceptable in the purple bins. Examples include your:

pickle, olive, and relish jars
spaghetti sauce jars
hot sauce bottles
beer, liquor, and wine bottles, and
wine jugs.

Do not deposit glass materials in the purple bin that are not acceptable. Materials NOT ACCEPTED include cut glass, window glass, mirrors, glass bakeware/Pyrex, stemware, crystal, and anything that is not a glass container. Placing unacceptable materials into the bin will ruin entire loads of glass destined for recycling.

HOW TO USE THE PURPLE BIN?

Rinse the containers and remove any caps, corks, and lids. Labels may stay on.
All colors of glass are acceptable, separating is not necessary.
If glass breaks inside the bin, that is okay. Broken glass is recycled.
Take all boxes, bags, or other collection containers with you when done. Do not place any of these materials in the bin.
Please shut the sliding doors when finished.

On every sliding door (that must be opened to deposit material into the bin) is a sign that states what glass is acceptable. As the sign indicates, the area is under video surveillance.

Leaving ANY materials, including recyclables, outside of the bins is a crime. This is littering and is clearly defined in the “Scattering Rubbish” sections of the Pennsylvania Crimes and Vehicle codes. Placing items, including glass items, not listed as acceptable into the bins is also a crime. The County and/or our partners reserve the right to prosecute alleged violators to the fullest extent of the law.

If you ever have a question about recyclability or how to dispose of something, please reach out to us. We’re always here to help! Click here to Contact Us.

WHERE CAN I FIND A PURPLE BIN?

Our purple bins for recycling glass bottles, jugs, and jars can be found at the following locations in Lawrence and Mercer County:

Locations
New Castle Lawence County Government Center 430 Court Street New Castle, PA 16101 ***Bin is located in the parking lot at the intersection of Court Street and Walnut Street.
Ellwood Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) 5153 Ellwood Road Ellwood City, PA 16117
Greenville Hempfield Township Municipal Building 278 South Mercer Street Greenville, PA 16125
Hermitage Elite EMS (former Hermitage Fire Station #3) 541 Mercer Avenue Hermitage, PA 16148 *** Entrance is across from the Morefield Cemetery on Mercer Avenue and near the intersection of Maple Drive.
Mercer Penn State Extension Office 463 North Perry Highway Mercer, PA 16137

WHAT HAPPENS TO GLASS FROM THE PURPLE BINS?

When the purple bin is full, it is swapped out with an empty glass recycling bin. The full container is hauled to a local bunker for unloading. The bunker serves as a local consolation site for accumulating glass containers and will hold about 20 tons of glass. When full, the County’s glass processor, CAP Glass, will pick up and transport the glass to their processing facility in Mount Pleasant, PA. At their facility, the glass is crushed, cleaned, sorted, and sized for use by the glass manufacturing industry. The resulting “cullet”, an industry term for furnace-ready recycled glass, is used by Owens-Illinois in Brockport, PA to manufacture new glass bottles.

Recycled glass is always part of the recipe for manufacturing glass. When cullet is mixed with sand, soda ash, and limestone and heated, the substance turns into a liquid. That liquid is then poured into molds to make new containers. Recycled glass can be substituted for up to 95% of raw materials. Manufacturers benefit from recycling in several ways. Recycled glass reduces pollution, extends the life of furnaces, saves energy & resources, and lowers costs.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BUYING AND RECYCLING GLASS?

Glass does not break down into harmful chemicals that leach into the food or beverage it contains, therefore protecting our health and the environment.
Glass preserves well, and the taste is better and more natural when coming from glass containers. 73% of consumers wish more brands offered products in glass.
Over 70% of U.S. consumer prefer glass packaging for food and beverages, driven by its reputation as a safe and healthy material.
Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without any loss in purity or quality. There is no downcycling as occurs with plastic recycling.
Using the purple bin to recycle glass supports local industries and manufacturing jobs in Pennsylvania.
Using the purple bin supports a circular economy and the sustainable use of materials by leveraging the infinite recyclability of glass.

This program would not have been made possible without the commitment and generous support of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, the Glass Recycling Foundation, CAP Glass, the City of Hermitage, the County Commissioners, and our site sponsors.