City of Port Orange Ceases Glass Recycling

Port Orange, FL –Beginning Tuesday, October 1, the City of Port Orange is suspending the collection of glass in the recycling as part of the city’s residential recycling program. All glass bottles, jars and containers will no longer go in the recycling bins but should be placed in the trash instead.

In 2017, China imported 75% of the recyclables from around the world. By 2018, China’s ban on certain recyclables from import has led North American recycling programs to change. “Due to the reduced demand for recycled glass, the cost for processing glass for recycling has more than doubled,” said Lynn Stevens, Director of Public Works & Utilities. “The recycle processor is removing the glass from the other recyclables and sends it to the landfill at a higher disposal cost than if glass was sent to the landfill with the rest of the trash. By controlling the costs, we can maintain the current level of service to our customers, help the environment, without passing the increased cost to our customers.” She continues, “when the demand for recycled glass increases, the City will reinstate glass recycling.”

Items that are still recyclable, which are then delivered and processed at our Materials Recycling Facility, GEL Corp, include: aluminum and tin cans; plastic containers with recycle symbols #1-#7; newspapers (plastic bag sleeve removed); junk mail, magazines, phone books, mixed office paper, cereal and snack boxes broken down, and cardboard boxes broken down, flattened or cut down to 2 foot by 2 foot. Residents can use up to three recycle bins to accommodate all of these items. Please note that pizza boxes or any take out food containers are not recyclable and should be put in the trash.

To alert residents of the change and for additional details about the city’s recycling program, brochures are currently being mailed to every Port Orange resident and should arrive in their next water bill from the city. Information can be found on the city’s social media page, “Port Orange City Hall,” and also on the Solid waste page of the City website at www.port-orange.org. Click on Government, Public Works, Solid Waste, Recycle Collection.
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