Waco glass recycling program kicks off with ceremony, first drop-off spot

A program that gives locals more recycling options started Thursday in an alley behind Stay Classy Waco, a wine bar at 723 Austin Ave.

That is where officials placed a purple recycling bin, one among five to accept donations of glass for recycling. Anyone, regardless of address, can dump glass in the containers, which will hold an estimated 10 to 15 tons apiece. Full bins will travel to the Owens-Illinois glass plant on Beverly Drive, where staffers will grind it into cullet, a glassmaking ingredient.

“We intend to have a bin in every Waco City Council district by the end of the year,” Keep Waco Beautiful Executive Director Carole Fergusson said.

That means they would pop up in East, North, South and West Waco. Fergusson said the Cobbs Drive recycling center just off North 44th Street, near land clearing for a new Lake Air Little League and Challenger Little League complex, will continue to accept glass alongside other recyclables. But whereas once the center alone served dedicated recyclers, it now becomes a member of the Glass4Good team.

The Owens-Illinois website includes a “sustainability” section that discusses its commitment to glass recycling. It says glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality. It says about 80% of recycled glass is used to make new glass bottles and jars, in as little as 30 days. The company produces glass in 70 plants internationally, and about a third of O-I’s furnaces use at least 50% recycled content. The company wants to increase recycled content to a 50% average systemwide by 2030.

Owens-Illinois operates three furnaces at its Waco plant. It makes glass containers for holding beer, liquor, mayonnaise, salsa and more.

“This is a great aspect of our strategic partnership with Keep Waco Beautiful, creating a more sustainable Waco, and diverting waste from our landfill,” Waco solid waste director Kody Petillo said in a press release.

United Way of Waco-McLennan County, also a partner in Glass4Good, will receive a percentage of the value of every recycling weigh-in for its programs aimed at health, financial stability, education and safety.

Fergusson said other bins likely will materialize at North 15th Street and Colcord Avenue, near Urban Reap and Jubilee Food Market. She said planning continues on identifying specific sites in council districts citywide.