Glass Bottles and Jars

Glass bottles and jars, including food and beverage bottles and jars of any color, can be recycled in all community recycling programs. 

Glass bottles and jars should be empty, clean, and dry before recycling. Metal lids for glass bottles and jars should be placed loose in the curbside recycling cart or bin. Labels do not need to be removed. Metal lids are unique and, if loose, will be sorted properly with metal cans at a material recovery facility (MRF). 

Glass bottles and jars can be recycled endlessly by crushing, blending, and melting them with sand and other starting materials. Glass bottles and jars placed in curbside recycling are processed and turned back into new bottles and jars or fiberglass. Some glass is designated for beneficial reuse and is used as aggregate for engineering projects including concrete and roads, or as landfill cover.

Not all glass can be recycled. The following glass items should not be placed into your curbside recycling:

• NO glass contaminated with stones, dirt, and food waste
• NO ceramics or heat-resistant glass such as dishware, ovenware (Pyrex), candle jars, and decorative items
• NO drinking glasses or mason jars
• NO mirror or window glass
• NO crystal
• NO light bulbs
• NO cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) found in some televisions and computer monitors

Candle jars, ceramics, and ovenware are tempered glass, specially treated during manufacturing to withstand high temperatures. This makes it non-recyclable. Find a reuse for unwanted tempered glass items or place them in the regular trash. Earth911 explains the differences in glass.

Broken glass can be cleaned up, contained in a paper box or bag, and placed in the regular trash.

Businesses with glass can recycle it through local specialized companies. See the list of Business Locations below.

Wine Corks

Do not place wine corks - natural, aluminum, or plastic - in curbside recycling.

Natural corks are biodegradable and renewable, and can be placed in a backyard compost bin. The Cork Forest Conservation Alliance has a Cork ReHarvest drop-box program. ReCork has a list of recycling drop-off locations. You can also use a mailback program such as CorkClub or Terracycle. Locally, Upcycle Parts Shop may accept corks by appointment. Contact them for details.
 

Aluminum or plastic corks cannot be reused in wine bottles. Find an alternate reuse (craft) project or dispose in the regular trash. 

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Looking to recycle, donate, or dispose of other items? Use the dark blue 'What Do I Do With?' search bar at the top of every page of this website. Allow location services or use the city drop-down to find opportunities in your local area.