Officials with the Morehead Community Recycling Center want to remind people they are no longer able to accept glass for recycling. There are several factors contributing to the decision, but the primary reason for the inability to recycle glass products is the cost.
Tyler Brown, manager of the recycling center, said there is no viable market for recycled glass. He added the process of recycling the material is very expensive and takes up a lot of space and equipment - space and equipment the center in Morehead does not have.
“The amount of equipment that it takes and the amount of money to do it right. If there was a market for it might be something we could get back into, but as of right now there’s no market for it, no good way to get rid of it,” said Brown.
Brown noted that broken glass damages machines at recycling facilities. This means that equipment at these locations often needs to be repaired or even replaced making recycling glass even more costly.
He added if the market for recycled glass becomes more favorable and the facilities had the space they might start accepting glass again. However, that is unlikely given the current circumstances.
“We don’t really have the space for it. The size of machine that it would really take, they require a lot of room. We’re at our max capacity down here as of right now,” said Brown. “Probably until there becomes a need and the market opens up for it, we just won’t be able to take it.”
Brown added glass is increasingly becoming a contaminant in other recyclable materials. This not only lowers the value of recycled plastic, cardboard, and paper products, but also creates a dangerous environment for workers.