Partnership increases glass recycling options
10 new drop-off locations are set to open over next several weeks
Houston residents soon will be able to drop off glass recyclables at additional neighborhood depositories, thanks to a new deal between the city and the recycling company Strategic Materials.
The recycling company is set to open 10 new drop-off locations over the next several weeks, complementing the city’s nine existing neighborhood receptacles. The expansion in drop-off locations comes three months after Houston eliminated glass from its curbside recycling program in a bid to lower processing costs.
“Since the removal of glass from the city’s single stream recycling program earlier this year, we have been working to find ways for residents to conveniently continue to recycle glass,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said.
Strategic Materials is footing the bill for the extra drop-off boxes and in exchange will keep any profits.
The first two locations are scheduled to open this weekend in Sharpstown and along Washington Avenue. The remaining locations, to be determined by the city’s solid waste department and Strategic Materials, are expected to open over the next two and a half weeks.
“We hope to identify more partners over time to work with us and our customer base to continue to grow this program even more,” Strategic Materials CEO Denis Suggs said.
Turner said he is eventually aiming to reintroduce glass to the curbside recycling program, after the city’s current recycling contract with Waste Management expires in two years.