truth about recycling in bozeman

Please watch this recycling slide show from the City of Bozeman to find out what is going on with recycling and glass collection in Bozeman. Be aware that any recyclables that are left out side of the binnies are thrown out and not recycled. Glass is being collected again but not recycled or reused until the City Commission can determine what to do with it. Have any suggestions?

RECYCLING POWERPOINT

glass is trash

Just in case you didn't know...
Glass is Trash in Bozeman, MT.

This sign is posted on all of the glass "recycling" binnies here in Bozeman.

no market for glass in bozeman

The caption under the photo from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle on Monday April 2, 2007 says it all, "Glass taken from local recycling bins sits in piles at the Bozeman Landfill. It will be mixed with dirt then used as landfill covering."

Solid Waste Superintendent S. Johnson states that, "What we're doing right now isn't really recycling." That is right. Why then did I think I was recycling when I dutifully sorted out my glass from the trash and threw it into Headwaters Cooperative Recycling's binnies? While I was disappointed that the City of Bozeman will stop collecting glass I was more disappointed to learn it wasn't even recycled when it was collected.

I visited the Headwaters Cooperative Recycling, Inc. website and found that:

It takes approximately 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down in a landfill.
In the U.S. today, 34% of all glass containers are recycled.
Most bottles and jars contain at least 25% recycled glass.
Glass never wears out - it can be recycled forever.

Recycling glass saves 25-32% of the energy used to make glass.
Glass containers save 9 gallons of fuel (oil) for every ton of glass recycled.

One million years is a long time for that bottle of wine from last night's dinner to sit in the Bozeman landfill waiting to decompose. The Chronicle cites expense and lack of market as well as use of energy for reasons why glass recycling isn't economically feasible. Why then does the Headwaters website state that recycling glass saves energy and fuel?

What is the solution? My family has decided to stop purchasing glass when we can substitute it for #1 or #2 plastic bottles that are recyclable here in Bozeman (at least I hope those aren't going to the landfill too!). What glass we do purchase we aren't throwing away. Glass jars of all shapes and sizes can be reused to store food, for drinking glasses, for art projects, and a wide range of other uses. I guess sometimes the answer isn't recycling. It's Reuse.

Does anyone have any long term solutions to the lack of recycling options here in Bozeman?