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 recycling cart or bin. Labels do not need to be removed.

Glass bottles and jars can be recycled endlessly by crushing, blending, and melting it together 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 in 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 that has has been specially treated in the manufacturing process to withstand high temperatures, which makes it non-recyclable. Find a reuse for unwanted tempered glass items or place in the regular trash.

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. For business locations, see the list of options below.

Wine Corks

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

Natural corks are a biodegradable and renewable resource, and can be placed in a backyard compost bin. The Cork Forest Conservation Alliance has Cork ReHarvest drop-boxes at many locations, including Whole Foods. ReCork has a list of recycling drop-off locations. You can also use a mail back program such as CorkClub or Terracycle.
 

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.