Over two million pounds of glass avoided Colorado landfills in July and August thanks to a partnership between the End of Waste Foundation (EOW), Rocky Mountain Bottling Company and Momentum Recycling.
The collaboration that began in June is said to effectively create a sustainable and circular economy in the glass industry in order to tackle a recurring issue in Colorado.
Despite having a reputation for being a green state, Colorado’s recycling rate is nearly half of the national average and 4.2% of landfill waste is composed of glass.
The primary factors in driving the low recycling rate include inconveniences for consumers and unavoidable economic realities.
China stopped accepting the world’s recyclables in 2018 and Colorado is one of 40 states without bottle deposit laws.
Within two months, the EOW platform tracked and recycled 1348 tons of glass.
However, the overall goal is to increase average recycling rates in the United States from 33% today to 85% by 2030.
Reaching this goal amounts to saving 4.6 million tons of glass from landfills and represents a 1.6 million-ton reduction in CO2 emissions per year.
The reduction in CO2 emissions is akin to taking 313,470 passenger vehicles off the road per year.
This process has already begun in Colorado, Utah and in Missouri with Ripple Glass.
Founder and CEO of EOW, Ionut Georgescu said, “We believe our independent and self-regulated system helps fulfil the goals and needs of all stakeholders involved, including consumers.
“Our partnership with Rocky Mountain Bottling Company and Momentum Recycling puts us on a sustainable path to a healthier planet.”
