Glass will soon be recycled again in DeKalb.
The county government plans to create a glass recycling program and hire a vendor to transport glass from drop-off locations to a processing facility.
DeKalb never stopped picking up glass and other recyclables from residences. But the county's recycling company, Pratt Industries, stopped processing glass when its Conyers facility opened last year. The new plant handles plastic, aluminum, metal cans, paper and cardboard. Glass is sorted out and sent to the landfill.
“Glass contained in single-stream recycling is now viewed as a contaminant to other recyclable materials, and the focus is currently how to make glass a much more valuable recycling item,” according to a statement from the county. “In light of this, the recycling industry is moving back toward the sort-separation process for glass as a recyclable material.”
DeKalb intends to put at least 10 large-volume glass recycling containers at sites throughout the county. Each container will have three compartments, allowing for glass to be separated by color.
The county is also hiring a contractor to empty the containers and bring glass to a recycling facility.
The glass recycling program “will pay for itself over time,” according to DeKalb, because glass recycling will generate revenue for the county and reduce the volume of recycling materials transported to Pratt Industries. The county doesn’t plan a rate increase.
