By Brittney Whipple
Keep Blount Beautiful’s (KBB) Glass Waste Diversion Program (GWDP) is in full swing! Funded by Arconic Foundation, the Glass Waste Diversion Program aims to make better use of glass waste created at local restaurants and bars that would normally end up in the Blount County Landfill. Through this program, KBB provides the missing link between participating businesses and the Blount County Recycling Center where glass is pulverized and used in local projects.
A version of the new Glass Waste Diversion Program Logo, created by Epic Nine Marketing.
Throughout the week, our four participating businesses use blue bins to collect glass waste rather than tossing it in their trash cans. Each Wednesday afternoon, the glass waste is placed outside and KBB’s executive director, alongside a board member or volunteer, hops in the program vehicle for pickup. The first stop is Bella!
Bella was the first GWDP partner, recruited with the help of the Downtown Maryville Alliance. “Bella is thrilled at the opportunity to participate in the Glass Waste Diversion Program with Keep Blount Beautiful and play a role in the stewardship of our community. Already, we see the impact of reducing landfill waste in our establishment alone,” says Jim Saunders, owner. Next time you visit Bella, rest assured that each bottle used to make your craft cocktail, pour your glass of wine, or hold your cold beer will be recycled.
Four glass waste bins waiting outside Bella for pickup.
Next stop- RT Lodge! RT Lodge has proven to be an excellent program partner who values waste reduction in their establishment as they use glass products to serve guests in The Restaurant, The Morningside Room, and at weddings and private events.
Now that we’ve loaded up RT Lodge’s bins, we’re on our way to Amici. Many who dine at Amici pair their pizza, pasta, or other delicious dish with a glass of wine. We are thrilled to have Amici as a program partner.
Lastly, we head across the street to collect glass waste from Southland Books and Cafe and The Bird and The Book. Glass is collected both in the cafe upstairs and the bar downstairs.
Our vehicle fills up fast! It takes a bit of maneuvering to fit the bins in just right.
Now that the bins have been picked up, we are off to the Blount County Operations Center to drop off. The GWDP contributes to Blount County’s glass recycling program managed by the Blount County Highway Department. The county pulverizes the glass waste on site, creating a byproduct that ranges from ⅜ inch gravel to fine sand. The byproduct is then stored to use as a substitute for aggregate, shoulder stone, pipe bedding, underlay, and more. Access to this pulverized glass product allows the county to save natural resources, save taxpayer money, and extend the life of the landfill. Since the Blount County Recycling Center began accepting glass in September of 2022, over 900,000 pounds of glass waste has been diverted from the Blount County Landfill!
First, we drive to the Blount County Highway Department’s truck scale to be weighed. The scale allows us to quantify our diversion efforts.
By finding the difference between our weight before and after drop off, we can figure out the weight of the glass.
Next, we head over to the glass collection area by the pulverizer. This area is not for public use, but rather for organizations and businesses that contribute large amounts of glass waste. With help from the highway department, the bins are unloaded and the glass waste is dumped into a pile.
Bulk glass waste is collected from Monroe County, UT Office of Sustainability, Fourth and Glass, Blackberry Farm, and Keep Blount Beautiful.
After our final weight is calculated (KBB’s latest pickup weighed 720 pounds!), we head back to each business to drop their bins back off. Now they are ready for another week of collection!
A volunteer is needed to assist with GWDP pick up and drop off each week. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact director@keepblountbeautiful.org.