Glass, It’s Endlessly Recyclable

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Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, Liz Swafford, invites you to recycle glass bottles and jars to celebrate Recycle Glass Month this September.

Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, Liz Swafford, invites you to recycle glass bottles and jars to celebrate Recycle Glass Month this September.

DALTON, GA – Whitfield County residents are invited to recycle their glass bottles and jars in celebration of Recycle Glass Month during September. Glass is 100% and endlessly recyclable, according to the Glass Packaging Institute or GPI. In fact, a glass container can go from a recycling bin to a store shelf in as little as 30 days. Recycling just one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a compact fluorescent light bulb for 20 hours.

Recycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its useful life and using all or part of it to create a new product. 80% of glass containers collected for recycling are made into new containers. While the rest of the glass, called cullet, is used in the production of glass tiles, glass jewelry, glass gravel or rocks, and more. The recycling process begins only when an individual drops-off their items for recycling at a local Convenience Center or puts them in a curbside bin for collection.

Here are some tips for recycling glass in Whitfield County:

  1. Recycle glass containers only. Make sure you are recycling glass bottles and jars that are clear, brown, green, or blue. These would be your typical food jars and drink bottles. Do not include any non-container glass like glass drinking cups, mirrors, and glass bake ware.

  2. Rinse with water. Rinse out bottles and jars to remove food residue. It’s ok to leave the labels on the containers.

  3. Know where to recycle. Depending on where you live you can recycle glass at a Convenience Center or with the City of Dalton Curbside Recycling Program.

Convenience Centers managed by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority have garbage drop-off areas and recycling drop-off areas with a specific container for glass bottles. There are four locations to choose from that are open to all county residents no matter what city they live in. They include the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center in the south end of the county, Westside in Rocky Face, M.L.King Blvd. in Dalton, and McGaughey Chapel in Cohutta. For more details call 706-278-5001 or visit www.DWSWA.org and click on Convenience Centers.

Glass recycling is also available through the City of Dalton Curbside Recycling program that is for Dalton residents in single-family homes of three units or less. If you have trash pickup by the City of Dalton Public Works department you probably qualify for curbside service that includes a blue 18-gallon recycling bin. Simply add the glass containers to your recycling bin and take it to the curb on your designated day. For questions about curbside call the Public Works Department at 706-278-7077.