Dive Brief:

• Deffenbaugh Industries told the Prairie Village, KS City Council that it plans to begin a pilot project in October collecting glass curbside for roughly 200 homes in the Normandy Square and Corinth Hills neighborhoods. Based on the results, the company would expand the effort citywide beginning next year.
• John Blessing, a public sector representative for the company, said the pilot project would not cost residents or the city anything. Deffenbaugh’s contract with the city expires next year.
• Curbside glass recycling disappeared for most area residents in the early 2000s. A few small companies collect glass on a subscription basis.

Dive Insight:

Now is a good time for curbside glass recycling to resume. Deffenbaugh has partnered with Ripple Glass of Kansas City, which said it needs more recycled glass to sell to fiberglass insulation makers.

“We hope to see on both sides of the state line glass recycling becoming very easy and abundant for everyone,” Blessing said.

Blessing said the demand for glass comes at a time when falling petroleum prices have hurt demand for recycled plastic. Other cities, such as Denver, have also increased efforts to work with communities in order to recycle glass efficiently.