In October of 2019 Virginia stopped collecting glass as part of the weekly recycling program. Since then we've been filling up smaller recycling bins with all of our glass. We don't seem to generate THAT much glass waste aside for the occasional get together when there are excess beer and wine bottles. When the pile starts to topple over, we know it's time to take care of it.
We thought you might also be wondering what to do with YOUR glass, so we put together some resources for you..
The Purple Containers
If you live in the Northern Virginia area you can drop your glass off at one of the many purple recycling bins. We've also heard of neighbors joining forces and making a trip for a few homes at a time! Click here for a map of the locations. If you're lucky enough to live in a municipality that still collects glass, rock on! If not, check your local government page and see if they provide any containers to drop or if your local dump accepts glass.
ReUse Them at Home
Consider storing dry goods, leftovers, fresh flowers or even craft supplies in your glass. My mother is the queen of reusing containers and you never know what's inside one. This would be a great time to break out your label maker or create custom sticker or labels. Think of it as a DIY Home Edit of your pantry or craft closet!
Fill them at your local bulk food grocery
Dry goods and zero waste grocers are popping up all over the place. If there's a grocer in your local area, you can bring in your glass containers, have them weighed and fill them with everything from dried goods to honeys/syrups and even powdered and liquid detergents. For a list of vendors and markets around the US, check out Litterless. They have lists of where to purchase in bulk and compost centers state-by-state.
And while we're on the topic of recycling, we have new arrivals every week-from barware to furniture-come check out how you can make even more of an impact on the environment by shopping resale not retail!
For more ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint, especially when entertaining, read my post about that here.