It looked like the glass would finally be picked up with the rest of our trash and recycling we all hoped for, but the reality was that it was not to be, at least not yet.
Editor’s note: For years, the city has fielded requests to add glass to “blue bin” curbside recycling, so when we noticed a mention of a new glass recycling pilot program buried in a 200-page city report (yep, we read those so you don’t have to), we asked Jesse Jones to find out what that was all about. Other news outlets don’t have the capacity to go that deep on city data, but that type of nerdy government reporting is exactly why we built City Desk. Keep reading to see what Jesse found.
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The city’s push to expand glass recycling fell short, according to a midyear fiscal report that points to ongoing staffing and equipment shortages. The Solid Waste Management Department launched a twice-a-month pilot last August at two sites, the Palo Duro Senior Center, 5221 Palo Duro Ave. N.E., and the Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center, 501 Elizabeth St. S.E., to test a curbside program was possible. But the department found a citywide rollout is not feasible, citing low participation, weak demand and a shortage of CDL-certified drivers and equipment.
The city initially struggled to measure the pilot’s success because the drop-off model relies on public bins, not household pickups. But recent data showed only about 90 to 100 residents used the Palo Duro site, producing less than one ton of glass, according to a city spokesperson. The city shut down the Palo Duro pilot in early March to better use its resources. In contrast, the Manzano Mesa location drew stronger participation and will continue operating on the first and third Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Instead of scrapping glass recycling entirely, the city is focusing on permanent drop-off bins to keep glass out of landfills. Crews take the collected glass to a processing site at the Cerro Colorado Landfill, where it is crushed and prepared for shipping. The city works with contractors to find regional end users, ideally in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado or Texas, to turn the material into new products while limiting the carbon footprint from transport.
To boost participation at the permanent sites, the department is expanding its “Recycle Right” campaign, a three-year effort with the city’s tourism department and the Resource Recovery Bureau. In April, the city plans a blitz of radio, TV and paid social media ads to reach more residents during Earth Month. The campaign also adds new signs at drop-off sites to reduce contamination from nonrecyclable trash and remind residents that glass is still not allowed in residential blue bins.
Staffing remains the biggest hurdle, and even if participation increases, the department is still limited by a shortage of qualified drivers and specialized equipment. The city will continue to track data from the Manzano Mesa site and its 24/7 drop-off locations to see where demand is strongest and whether future pilots can work long term.
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