Americans are doing a better job of recycling all the time. Unfortunately, when it comes to glass there are still major challenges. Recyclers have been going out of business and many of those still hanging on are seeing their piles grow out of control.

Concrete Recyclers in Tumwater, Washington has a stack of crushed glass that’s 8,000 tons and getting bigger. They may have to stop taking recycled glass diverting it instead to landfills. The problem is the slow economy. The company crushes glass into a sandy mixture and then sells it to construction companies who use it as building fill serving the same purpose as sand or pea gravel.

The slow construction industry, low cost of sand and skepticism about the crushed glass among construction engineers have all hurt glass recyclers. 

Meantime, some recycled glass is being melted and used to produce new glass bottles. The problem is glass manufacturers can produce new bottles cheaper if they don’t used recycled glass as a raw material. It’s labor intensive and a bottle loses almost all of its value when it is no longer a finished bottle.

Waste haulers who pick up recycled materials along with trash have always lost money on glass. The companies compensate for the loss by making money on aluminum cans and paper.

When the economy improves there should be a better market for recycled glass. More building and more buying will help. Meantime, despite good intentions, some of the recycled glass you leave at the curbside may end up at the landfill anyway.