September 15, 2000
For Immediate Release



GREEN STAR WORKS WITH BUSINESSES TO RECYCLE GLASS


Green Star, Inc. introduced a Citywide Glass Recycling Program this past April. Green Star, Inc. is a non-profit environmental organization in Anchorage dedicated to recognizing businesses that have increased efficiencies by making environmental improvements in their operations. The Glass Recycling Program is funded through a grant from the Municipality of Anchorage’s Solid Waste Services and the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation. As part of the Glass Recycling Program, Green Star is assisting businesses in establishing commercial glass recycling by offering several incentives. The program provides businesses with free indoor collection bins and labels, free glass collection service for several months, and free technical assistance and outreach materials to get a glass recycling program up and running. Collection is provided by Anchorage Refuse and is weekly or monthly, depending on the quantities of glass generated. The program targets large glass generators, such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and plate glass companies.

To date, more than a dozen businesses in Anchorage have implemented a formal glass-recycling program. Among these are several plate glass companies, including Capitol Glass and Trans America Glass. In addition, several restaurants, bars and hotels have begun recycling glass, including Benihana, Chilkoot Charlie’s, the Fly By Night Club, Glacier Brewhouse and Ristorante Orso, the Hilton Anchorage, Hooters, Hot Rods, Kaladi Bros., all three La Mex locations, the Sheraton Anchorage, and the Sourdough Mining Company.

Any businesses generating large quantities of glass that are interested in participating in the program can contact Green Star’s Recycling Program Coordinator at 278-7839 for more information.

In addition to assistance to large glass generators, Green Star hopes to establish glass drop-off bins throughout Anchorage for use by smaller glass-generating businesses as well as the general public. The Home Depot has already added a glass bin to its existing recycling drop-off site. The other existing glass drop-off bin for the public is at the Anchorage Recycling Center on Rosewood Ave., off Dowling.

The overall goal of the program is to increase diversion of waste glass from the current 1.8% of the total glass generated in Anchorage, to 5.6% by April 2001. This would increase the quantity of glass recycled in Anchorage from approximately 375 tons per year to 1,200 tons per year. This goal is in line with the Municipality’s recently released draft Recycling Plan, which calls for recycling of 3,400 tons per year by 2005.

The glass collected from residents and businesses during this program will be transported to Environmental Recycling, Inc. on Point Woronzof, a local waste glass processor. The company transforms waste glass into several usable products, such as sand blasting medium for cleaning and depainting metal tanks and septic system backfill.
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