DEQ Awards $235,000 in Grants for Glass Recycling Projects

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Recycling Program, in partnership with the Glass Recycling Foundation, recently awarded five glass recycling grants totaling $235,000 to support the long-term accessibility and stability of glass recycling in North Carolina.

“Recycling creates jobs, benefits the environment and is a key step toward creating a more circular economy in North Carolina,” said DEQ Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser. “It takes innovative strategies like this partnership with the Glass Recycling Foundation to support the long-term success of glass recycling in our state.”

DEQ’s Recycling Program provided $200,000 for the grants. The Glass Recycling Foundation (GRF), representing the private sector stakeholders, pledged $35,000 to help support hub-and-spoke system projects. The projects in the award list represent a total investment of more than $600,000 and impact nearly 2.6 million residents in North Carolina.

Three grantees proposed to expand or establish glass collection systems, while two recipients planned to purchase glass cleaning equipment to improve the quality and value of the recovered recycled glass.

According to community annual reports, recycled glass tonnage has decreased by 30 percent statewide since 2017. In response in 2021, DEQ met with stakeholders Owens-Illinois, Ardagh, Strategic Materials, Anheuser-Busch, Sierra Nevada, the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) and GRF to discuss methods to revitalize glass recovery in the state. The group identified two methods to recover lost glass tons: affordable glass cleaning equipment in MRFs and hub-and-spoke community glass collection systems. Based on stakeholder input, DEQ staff developed the Glass Equipment and Infrastructure Grant to fund potential projects to help boost the amount of glass recycled by local governments.

“Glass is endlessly recyclable and is one of the original packaging materials for food and beverage, and it should be a priority in the recycling system,” said Scott DeFife, president of the GRF and GPI. “We appreciate DEQ’s commitment to improving the North Carolina’s glass recycling system. The Glass Recycling Foundation was created to help fill gaps in community glass recycling efforts, and we are proud to help the communities of North Carolina to ensure glass gets recycled.”

For more information about recycling, go to: https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/environmental-assistance-and-customer-service/recycling.