Want glass recycling? Let’s do it right!

Bert Urbani

In early January, my husband stopped by the Township Hall parking lot to drop off our holiday wine bottles (Happy New Year, everybody!). Priority Waste (the Township’s recycling vendor) was getting ready to haul away the full roll off dumpster.

When we went back later, the container was gone and hadn’t yet been returned, but the noncompliant stuff (a box of bottles, loose bottles, plastic jugs and a broken mirror) was still there, leaving a mess for our busy Public Services staff to clean up.

A little bit of history: In response to public demand, in 2020 the Township and Priority Waste began providing a container in the Township Hall parking lot where residents could drop off their glass bottles for recycling.

The man who wears many hats, Township Manager/Public Services Director Derek Thiel, explained, “The container is custom built so we only have one, and when it has been removed to be emptied, the service is temporarily unavailable (emptying takes approximately two hours). If you arrive to dispose of your items while it is being emptied, please do not leave your items for others to put in the container. Come back within the next 120 minutes and the container will likely have returned.

“When full, the Township calls the provider to empty the unit. Priority usually empties the container within 24 hours of being contacted by the Township. The Township contacts Priority when the unit is full to avoid the emptying of the unit when it’s not at capacity.

The Township is charged $250 every time the container is emptied so we try to ensure it is full. Scheduling a regular service may result in its getting emptied while not full, or having to contact them between service intervals for additional service, resulting in additional cost.”

Rules were established when the program was created, and signage on the container makes those clear. Only glass bottles and jars (corks and caps removed) and window glass panes are accepted. No mirrors, porcelain, light bulbs, plastic, cardboard, or trash.

It was made known that when the dumpster is full, bottles are not to be left on the ground. The container is specially outfitted with slots to accommodate the disposal of bottles and jars as a clear indication that noncompliant stuff should not be placed in the dumpster. (Window glass can be recycled but it has to fit through the slots. This can require breaking, which should be done safely at home to avoid injury and littering the area with broken glass.)

Thiel further explained why we do not have curbside glass recycling.

“Glass recycling in a mixed waste stream (curbside) is not profitable for the recycler because of the cost of sorting out the glass,” he said. “Residents expressed interest in recycling glass anyway, so we were able to work out the partnership and provide the roll off container. We regularly remind residents of the rules, but eventually compliance breaks down and we see bottles left behind on the ground, as if people feel better thinking that their bottles will somehow be recycled. If noncompliance worsens, however, the program could be eliminated.”

Now I know that in many homes on Grosse Ile and elsewhere, the casually dropped dirty sock or wet towel (and even iPhones and tablets) somehow mysteriously appear in their proper places by morning, thanks to local fairies and elves. And after I talked with Derek and started this article, the container was back and the garbage was gone.

But, neighbors, if we keep screwing up, we will lose this service that we all value! Let’s do it right!