ARLINGTON, Va. — Arlington County officials have asked its residents to stop recycling glass products.
They said it's because of a drop in the market value of glass recyclables. Recycling glass products is "no longer economically or environmentally sustainable," officials said in a press release.
"With markets as they are, recycling centers that receive materials from Arlington and other localities are frequently depositing glass in landfills rather than forwarding them on to recycling facilities," the release said.
Arlington officials said that by taking out glass recycling, paper, cardboard and metal will "become easier to handle and more attractive to market end users."
But Arlington County has provided residents with alternatives to recycling glass products.
For starters, residents can buy less products in glass containers. Instead, shoppers can opt for recyclable metal or plastic.
Officials said residents can also reuse their glass containers instead of recycling them.
Or, residents can drop off their glass recyclables in presorted glass-only containers and Arlington's two recycling drop-off centers. The glass items dropped off at recycling centers will be crushed and used as construction and landscaping material, the release said.
Glass that Arlington residents place in their black trash carts will be processed and incinerated into electricity.
