Recycling bin at Cherrydale Branch Library. Photo by Shirley Ruhe.
Arlington residents have three more drop-off sites for recycling used glass jars and bottles.
Customized purple-and-green bins now stand ready at:
Aurora Hills Community Center/Branch Library, 735 18th St. S.
Cherrydale Branch Library, 2190 N. Military Rd.
Lee Community Center, 5722 Lee Highway.
The County debuted its first glass-only collection bins in April at Quincy Park (Washington Boulevard and North Quincy Street) and the Trades Center (2700 S. Taylor St.) after an official County Board response to the plunge in the number of processing operations and global markets for used glass.
WATCH: Solid Waste Bureau Chief Erik Grabowsky answers questions about the shift in glass, home recycling best practices and world market conditions.
Residents are now formally asked to keep glass out of single-stream “blue cart” recycling collected weekly at the curb.
Other troublesome items to keep out of the blue carts: plastic bags, shredded paper, wire hangers and garden hoses. Try the County’s Where Does It Go? Database at recycling.arlingtonva.us/where-does-it-go for a particular type of item.
Glass placed in Arlington drop-off bins is transported to Fairfax County, where crushing machinery servicing multiple jurisdictions turns bottles and jars into sand and gravel used in area paving, construction and landscaping.
Arlington residents have placed some 200 tons of glass in the Quincy and Trades recycling bins since their debut.
Fun fact: The holes in the sides of the collection bins are sized to allow for bottles and jars while keeping out larger items that could contaminate the loads and force sorting at the crushing site. The relatively small hole also provides protection as glass falls inside the bin.
Most Arlington residents are now less than 2.5 miles from a glass recycling drop-off. Glass drop-off combined with other errands is encouraged along with neighbors teaming up to reduce trips.