Over the summer, the Mat-Su Borough acquired a glass pulverizer that will help break down one of the most difficult materials to recycle. Glass is heavy and there aren’t too many uses for it once it’s broken.
But pulverized glass that’s the consistency of sand is a very useful material for quite a few projects. Borough Solid Waste Division Manager Jeff Smith says the pulverizer is able to remove the paper, but jars need to be clean from food for the best end product.
“The pulverizer actually breaks it down into sand and gravel chips that you literally put your hand into and there’s no shards because of the way that it breaks up the glass. It also takes the paper off of it so that the paper is separate. We’re adding a few modifications to the system to get the paper off a little better, like a blower system that blows the paper away, but at the end of the day, all you have to do is make sure the glass is clean. It doesn’t matter if it has a label on it.”
The Borough bought the pulverizer earlier this summer and the program officially began collecting glass on September 9. Smith says the pulverizer can take glass bottles and jars, like those for wine, cola, pickles, and peanut butter.
He says they are looking for creative ways to use the finished sand.
“It works really, really well. The sand that’s coming out is terrific. We think that a local golf course here wants the sand product that’s made from it because it’s such a fine, good quality material.”
Smith says he hopes the golf course will use it, but that arrangement is still in the works. The sand can be used in other ways like in roads and driveways, as well as smaller projects around homes.
Smith says glass is being collected at Valley Community Recycling Services, or VCRS, the Borough’s recycling partner. VCRS is located at the Central Landfill in Palmer. There is no cost to drop off glass for recycling.
For a while, glass was not taken as a recyclable material because there was no final market for it and it was difficult to haul and use. Now it seems there may be a market for it after all.
