Glass Recycling Coalition Awards First Gold MRF Glass Certification

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 10, 2020 –The Glass Recycling Coalition (GRC) awarded the first-ever gold-level MRF Glass Certification to materials recovery facilities at Rumpke Waste & Recycling and Sims Municipal Recycling. Two Sims Municipal Recycling’s MRFs and three Rumpke Waste & Recycling’s MRFs received this honor for their processes for cleaning up glass and integrated beneficiation.

“These MRFs are leading the way by not only cleaning up glass in the MRF, but their integrated glass beneficiation ensures a higher quality glass,” said Jim Nordmeyer, VP Global of Sustainability, O-I Glass and GRC Leadership Committee.

Both Sims Municipal Recycling and Rumpke Waste & Recycling have a pre-cleaning process to remove glass early. That MRF glass is then taken to a company-owned glass processing for further cleanup, color sorting, and marketability. End markets for these facilities range from furnace-ready bottle-to-bottle options, fiberglass, and roadbed.

“Environmental sustainability is a core pillar of our company mission,” said Bill Rumpke Jr., President and CEO of Rumpke. “We continue to invest in recycling and look for innovative ways to put material to good use. Over the last ten years, we made significant investments to operate the most technologically advanced recycling systems in our service footprint.”

Family-owned and operated, Rumpke Waste & Recycling, boasts a state-of-the-art glass recycling beneficiation plant in Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton plant produces 60,000 to 70,000 tons per year for glass insulation and bottle manufacturing. End markets are found in Ohio and neighboring Indiana at fiberglass and bottle manufacturers.

“It made financial sense to build our own glass beneficiation plant; however, that may not be the same for other facilities based factors like volume and proximity to glass cullet customers,” said Tom Outerbridge, General Manager of Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR). “In those instances, we encourage communities to remain committed to glass recycling and to reimagine how to best capture this resource given local and regional conditions.”  

SMR’s New Jersey location is home to SMR’s beneficiation facility for all of the curbside glass SMR produces at its NY-NJ MRFs.  The Glass Plant includes optical sorters to color-sort cullet for sale to glass furnaces and cleaning equipment to make glass aggregate from the glass that cannot be color-sorted.  SMR’s Glass Plant processes more than 100,000 tons per year and can ship by rail and barge in addition to trucks, to extend the market reach for processed glass. 

Sims Municipal Recycling’s New Jersey MRF, touts an onsite beneficiation component, cleans and sells cullet directly to furnaces. The glass facility processes an estimated 100,000 tons per year can ship by rail and currently utilizes barges in addition to trucks to extend the market reach for their glass. Their Brooklyn, NY MRF has pre-cleaning and also brings glass to the site.

The GRC MRF Glass Certification was launched in Fall 2019 to date seven US MRF hold this certification.  The free certification program recognizes MRFs with additional equipment and operational procedures to clean up glass in both single- and dual-stream systems - producing more marketable and higher quality glass.

GRC’s website currently hosts an interactive map showing MRFs, glass processors, and end-markets across the country. GRC certified MRFs will be noted on this map along with public recognition of this certification.

The glass certification criteria are judged on current infrastructure and a glass purity measure. An independent committee scores certification levels into gold, silver, and bronze certifications. MRFs holding this certification will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Learn more about the Glass Recycling Coalition and apply for MRF Glass Certification at www.glassrecycles.org. 

The Glass Recycling Coalition is a mission-centric, impactful organization fostering collaboration across the glass recycling value chain.  Nearly 30 member companies and organizations are dedicated to breaking down barriers in order to keep glass in the recycling stream, meet and grow end-market demand, and build awareness of the benefits of glass recycling. Established in April 2016, GRC is a non-competitive coalition of U.S. value chain members involved in glass recycling and dedicated to supporting the most accessible and viable glass recovery and recycling options for consumers. For more information, visit www.glassrecycles.org or contact [email protected].