To:

Brian Ziegler, P.E.

Director of Public Works
Pierce County Public Works Department

From:

Jade Swepston

Subject:

Glass Recycling Study

Date:

October 9, 2016

The purpose of this memo is to present my findings of the Glass Recycling study I have
recently conducted and provide a suggestion for further action. In terms of beginning to
recycle glass, your stance has been that it is too expensive and the financial gain is not
high enough to maintain recycling glass curbside. Id like to explore the idea of providing
this service once again for Pierce County residents.
Summary
In this memo, I will address the problem of glass that is thrown away when it could be
recycled. I will look at the costs of processing glass, along with the benefits of doing so. I
will offer a solution based on my findings and the processes of some of our neighboring
counties that work effectively. In general, there are higher costs associated with glass
recycling, especially when glass processers receive shipments that contain a lot of
garbage that needs extra processing to recycle the glass. However, the benefits of
recycling glass reflect more than just monetary success and contribute to lowering the
countys carbon footprint.
Introduction
Curbside pickup for glass recyclables is offered by most recycling programs in the United
States, but Pierce Countys commingled recycling bin program currently opts to not
accept glass through home pickup.
Currently, there are drop-off receptacles available in various locations in Pierce County
for both glass and plastic waste. Though there are several collection locations, they are
not always conveniently located and make it difficult for Pierce Country residents to
transport waste from their homes. This is not ideal because rather than conveniently
disposing of recyclable materials in a recycling bin through a waste management service,
residents may decide to take the easiest route and instead place their glass and plastic
bags in garbage collection, which destines the recyclables to a landfill.
Research Methods
I began my research by becoming familiar with common recycling practices in our
surrounding areas. This included research regarding our own Pierce County as well as our
neighbor King County. I then became familiar with the processes of recycling, focusing
my research on environmental impact and community involvement. I was particularly
interested in the cost of recycling glass in general, and wanted to compare those costs to
the money saved as well as the environmental and economic benefits as well. I wanted to
assess the general attitude of residents toward recycling, and what their attitudes would

be toward adding curbside pickup for glass in addition to the commingle containers we
currently use. I broke my research down into 6 tasks:
1. acquire basic understanding of current recycling practices in Pierce County
2. acquire basic understanding of current recycling practices in other counties, such as
King County (Seattle, Bellevue)
3. determine Pierce County residents attitude towards curbside recycling and public
collection centers
4. assess what changes would need to be made to the current recycling process to add
glass and plastic bags to curbside pickup
5. assess costs and benefits for collection company when accepting glass curbside
6. analyze data and prepare this recommendation report
Results
Task 1. Acquire basic understanding of current recycling practices in Pierce County
Pierce County does not accept glass in curbside recycling and maintains that the cost of
glass recycling is too high for the return. Pierce County uses private companies to pick up
glass curbside, and that is taken to municipal recycling centers for processing. Processing
is done by employees, and the first step is separating the components into their various
types. Some articles revealed that part of the reason glass is not accepted in commingled
bins is because glass breaks during transit from home to recycling center, making it
dangerous for employees to sort through the rest of the recycled materials.
Task 2. Acquire basic understanding of current recycling practices in other counties,
such as King County
King County processes recycling much like Pierce County. Private companies collect
recycling curbside in most cases, it is taken to municipal recycling centers, and
employees process recycling by sorting recycled material by type. However, Seattle does
accept glass through the same commingled containers Pierce County provides their
residents. Seattle and King County hold the view that recycling glass provides the
opportunity to lower the costs of glass products for businesses, as well as lowering the
energy and materials needed to produce new glass. Seattle, known for its green
initiatives, sees its glass recycling as an environmentally conscious approach.
Task 3. Determine Pierce County residents attitude towards curbside recycling and
public collection centers.
The study that I conducted was very small, as I did not have time or resources to
distribute a survey to Pierce County residents. For this reason, I will not use my findings
of this section as a rationale for my recommendation. I did find, however, that those that I
did contact were in favor of curbside pickup for glass, even if it meant a higher cost.
Task 4. Assess what changes would need to be made to the current recycling process to
add glass and plastic bags to curbside pickup
Pierce County would need to change their policies regarding glass curbside pickup to
make it acceptable for private collection companies to incorporate glass pickup into the
normal recycling practices. Additionally, the companies would need to establish a
connection with a processing facility for glass. The primary processing facility may need

to hire a few more employees to help sort the extra glass that comes in from curbside
pickup, and an additional truck route would need to be added to take glass from the
primary sorting facility to the glass processing facility.
Task 5. Assess costs and benefits for collection companies when accepting glass
curbside
The cost of processing one ton of glass is approximately $50 to $70, and when it is
processed, it can be sold for $10 per ton. The price to process glass can be increased by
$10 to $40 per ton if the glass is dirty, depending on the glass processing facility. A less
documentable cost would be the increased cost of gas and maintenance on trucks from
the heavier load that glass would stipulate.
The benefits of recycling glass include lower costs of materials to make new glass, which
are expensive compared to the pieces or recycled glass. Additionally, it requires less
energy to reuse glass than it takes to create new glass, which can lower a carbon
footprint. It is important to know that glass is 100% recyclable, meaning that the integrity
of glass does not change no matter how many times it is melted and reformed.
Limitations of the Study
The time limitation of the study meant that I was not able to use a valid sample of Pierce
County, and was able to employ a convenience sample while determining the residents
attitude toward the possibility of curbside pickup for glass with an increased cost. For this
reason, my conclusions and recommendation will not rely heavily on my findings for this
task.
Conclusions
I drew three main conclusions from this study:
Other recycling plans that are implemented are able to include glass in their
systems with great success.
The costs of implementing curbside glass pickup are certainly there, as it would
not just be adding another type of recyclable to go to a recycling center, but would
include adding more labor cost, maintenance cost and procedural cost.
The benefit of recycling glass and increasing the practice of recycling glass
provides economic and environmental prosperity. By recycling more glass, it
reduces the cost of creating recycled glass products, which makes it less
expensive for local businesses to purchase glass materials to make and package
their products. Additionally, the amount of energy required to process recycled
glass is much lower than that of creating new glass.
Recommendation
I recommend that Pierce County consider adding glass to curbside pickup. Though there
are certainly costs involved with implementing this policy, the economic and
environmental gain from providing this service are undeniable. By decreasing the needed
materials and energy to create glass, we would make a positive influence on the
environment by lowering our carbon footprint. The savings generated by using recycled
glass will be passed along to local business owners, who will be able to create higher

profits and economic prosperity. The benefits outweigh the costs in more than just a
monetary sense, and it is important that we be conscious about our impact on our
community.
Works Cited
"Earth Matters." Pierce County Public Works and Utilities. Pierce County, 2012. Web. 7
Oct. 2016.
Ng, Serena. "High Costs Put Cracks in Glass-Recycling Programs." WSJ. Wsj.com, 22
Apr. 2015. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.
"Recycling Basics." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 6 Apr. 2016. Web. 08 Oct.
2016.
"Recycling Process." Seattle Public Utilities. City of Seattle. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.
Watson, Tom. "Transparent Answers on Recycling Glass." The Seattle Times. The Seattle
Times, 06 May 2011. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.
West, Larry. "Why Recycle Glass?" About.com News & Issues. About News, 27 Jan.
2016. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.
"What's Accepted as Garbage." What's Accepted--Seattle Public Utilities. City of Seattle.
Web. 08 Oct. 2016.