Did you know that most of the glass you've been throwing into your recycle bin has been ending up in the trash?
Alexandria has been unable to recycle glass for a variety of reasons, primarily due to contamination, a significant increase in the cost to recycle glass and the lack of a nearby facility to process glass.
That's changing now.
Alexandria has partnered with Fairfax County and has created four drop-off centers for residents who want to ensure their glass is recycled. Glass donated at these centers will be brought to a processing plant in Fairfax County and will be turned into gravel and sand for local use in landscaping, construction and other uses.
The four locations are
- S. Whiting Street (At the end of S. Whiting Street, intersecting at Tower Court)
- 3224 Colvin Street
- 4251 Eisenhower Avenue
- Jones Point Park (On the left, at the end of S. Royal Street, heading South; under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge)
The March/April edition of Alexandria Living Magazine focused on recycling in our area, what can and can't be recycled, flushed and more.
See the story When You Wish Upon a (Recycling) Cart for more on being environmentally conscious in both the City of Alexandria and in southeast Fairfax County.
Here's the complete statement from the City of Alexandria, released Friday, regarding glass recycling:
Currently, glass collected for recycling by our contractors is ending up in landfills due to a variety of issues, including recycling contamination, rising recycling costs, and lack of a regional glass processing capacity. Rather than removing glass from Alexandria’s recycling program, as some jurisdictions around the country have done, the City has decided to weather the current challenges and continue to collect glass curbside until the market for recycled glass improves.
The City is actively monitoring the market for a viable option to recycle glass and working with our neighbors to propose and advocate for innovative solutions. While glass is still accepted in the blue recycling bin, the City has partnered with Fairfax County and established four drop-off centers to improve the recyclability of glass. Glass separated at these centers will be hauled to a processing plant in Fairfax County to be recycled into gravel and sand that can be used locally. These end products can be used in landscaping, construction projects, and even remanufactured into new glass items.
Glass Drop-Off Locations
The City has launched purple glass only bins at the City's four Recycling Drop-Off Centers. These centers have recycling containers for residents and small businesses to deposit recyclables. The drop-off centers are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
