This is it, we’re closing out our recycling journey, and it all ends with glass.
New Orleans still does not recycle glass. I know! It’s sad, but don’t include it in your bin. It creates safety issues for recycling facility workers who hand-sort our single stream system.
Why don’t we recycle glass? Good question. Currently, there is no market for recycled glass. Yes, that makes us cry, too. But here, it’s just not considered a sellable commodity (yet). Add to that the fact that it’s far less expensive to make it new than it is to haul it several hundred miles, and you start to see why it’s cheaper to keep.
If you buy glass, reuse it! Make things with it! Give it as many lives as you can!
Just because something should be recycled, doesn’t mean it can be. Think of it this way: the recycling haulers only want what can be resold. And in New Orleans, right now, that’s plastics 1-7, cardboard, paper, aluminum and steel. If you throw it in just because you think, “they’ll figure out what to do with it” — think again. WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT!
