Gwinnett County will no longer accept glass recycling starting July 1.
The county board of commissioners renewed recycling hauler agreements for curbside recycling in December. Those included the elimination of glass recycling as of July 2018, according to county spokesman Joe Sorenson.
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It has been increasingly difficult for the county’s recycling haulers to collect and handle glass, and they requested the elimination of glass recycling, Sorenson said. Residents should dispose of glass in the trash once the change is enacted, according to the county.
Laura Hernandez, leader of Gwinnett Recycles, disagrees with the move to eliminate glass recycling, saying there are no good alternative ways to ensure glass objects get recycled.
“Sending glass to landfills is not sensible from either an environmental or an economic perspective, and the alternative that Gwinnett County Government has given us to landfilling this material — taking it to a recycling facility — is inadequate at this time,” Hernandez said in an email.
There are two locations to drop off glass in Gwinnett County, according to Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful: Snellville Recycling Center at 2531 Marigold Road and Norcross Public Works at 345 Lively Ave. The Norcross location is only for Norcross residents; those who live outside the city cannot recycle there.
While glass will no longer be accepted, monthly collection fees will go down from $19.16 per month to $17.91 per month. The senior discount for customers 62 and older will increase to 25 percent, making their cost $13.75 per month.
Customers will also receive new 65-gallon wheeled recycling carts with lids to replace the 17-gallon bins they use. The new carts will be free to customers and provided by haulers.
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