Angela Carbetta (Marion County) and Ben Pedigo (Rumpke)

Waste and recycling professionals from across the Buckeye State gathered in Greenville, Ohio for the Ohio Association of Litter Prevention and Recycling Professionals (OALPRP) annual conference in June. Rumpke Recycling Sales Manager Ben Pedigo presented Rumpke’s plans for recovering more glass throughout the state.

“Glass can be a challenging material to recycle,” Pedigo said. “During the past 10 years Rumpke has learned how to meet challenges such as hauling and storage, and found new markets to increase our glass recycling capability.”

Rumpke is working with the Ohio EPA and solid waste districts throughout the region to divert more glass from landfills. Container glass is accepted in Rumpke’s curbside and commercial single stream programs.

In some communities, glass is collected separately. Angela Carbetta, program manager for Marion County Recycling and Litter Prevention, has signed up many bars and restaurants in her district for the “Glass Act” program, which recovers 2.5 tons of glass every week.

Glass collected from residential and commercial recycling programs is processed in Dayton, Ohio. At the glass recycling plant, fibers and metals are removed before broken glass pieces are separated by size. Small pieces are ground into a fine, sand-like mixture that is used to manufacture fiberglass insulation. Optical scanners are used to sort the larger pieces by color, which will be used to manufacture new glass bottles and jars.

 Written by Rumpke's Corporate Communications Team.