Decatur to continue offering residential glass recycling

Decatur will send glass to Strategic Materials in College Park to be recycled.

Decatur will send glass to Strategic Materials in College Park to be recycled.

Decatur commissioners approved an increase in the city’s 2016 sanitation fee Monday, from the current $250 to $275, thereby allowing the city to provide separate glass recycling.

According to Assistant City Manager David Junger, the cost increase covers the delivery of glass in “an acceptable condition,” to a secondary processor, in this case Strategic Materials in College Park.

Beginning July 1 residents will have to provide a separate container, less than 18 gallons, for glass. The fee increase will show up in the second installment of this year’s tax bill.

The city is extending its contract with Latham Home Sanitation for residential recycling services, but now Latham will deliver glass only to Strategic Materials, “the largest glass recycler in the United States,” according to its website. The company processes between 250 to 300 tons of mixed glass and garbage daily from across the southeast.

In a poll posted for several months on the city’s website, 90.8 percent of those responding approved Decatur’s continuing residential glass recycling.