This year-long program, funded through grants from the Municipality of Anchorage’s Solid Waste Services and the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation, came to its conclusion in June 2000. The program was designed to establish on-going commercial recycling in Anchorage for businesses generating large quantities of glass, such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and plate glass companies. Before the program began, it was estimated that Anchorage residents and businesses diverted 1.8% of the glass generated from the landfill. Much more can be captured and diverted for valuable uses right here in Alaska. The goal of the glass-recycling program was to increase the tonnage of glass diverted from the landfill to 1,200 tons per year from the baseline figure of 375 tons. This would increase the glass recycling rate to 5.6% of the glass waste generated.

To increase commercial glass recycling, Green Star worked with businesses that generate large quantities of glass to establish in-house recycling programs and helped set up public drop-off bins where smaller businesses can take glass free of charge.

Approximately 811 tons of glass were recycled during the 15 months of the program. Currently 25 known businesses are recycling glass in Anchorage. These businesses are either on a collection route or they transport glass to the recycling center themselves. In addition, three 24-hour public drop-off sites are available to residents and businesses.

After businesses and residents separate glass for recycling, it is delivered to Environmental Recycling, Inc., which operates Anchorage's Glass Recycling Facility (AGRF) located on Point Woronzof. The company grinds the glass into a fine sand and transforms the waste glass into several usable products, such as sand blasting medium for cleaning and depainting metal tanks and septic system backfill.

Since the glass recycled in Anchorage is being ground up and made into a variety of products, instead of made back into bottles, more types of glass can be used than are typically collected in other communities. Click here for a basic list of what is acceptable and what is not. If you have questions about a glass item that is not on these lists, please contact Environmental Recycling, Inc. at 243-8577.