The Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority is implementing a new recycling program for glass approved by CT DEEP. Local municipal recycling centers are now collecting glass separate from the mixed recycling stream. Please take the time to read below why we are implementing this program and how to properly prepare and recycle your glass beverage and food containers. For information specific to your town, select from the tabs below.
Glass will now be sent to a glass recycler. The HRRA has partnered with Strategic Material and Urban Mining a new recycling company here in Connecticut. Urban Mining makes Pozzotive® a high performance postconsumer pozzolan and functional industrial filler, which is made from 100% recycled postconsumer glass. Learn more about Urban Mining here. Strategic Material is North American’s largest glass recycler. They have a processing plant here in Connecticut. They create a wide range of products used in daily life, including: fiberglass insulation, food & beverage containers, reflective materials, and other consumer and industrial products. Learn more about SMI and their Markets.
It is important that you follow the instructions to recycle the right glass items. If you contaminate the glass container at your local drop-off with unacceptable items, it may cost your town contamination fees. In order to recycle the glass at its highest value, you must recycle only the acceptable items listed below.
IMPORTANT to note: Glass is a designated recyclable by state law. Glass should not be disposed of in the trash. Learn more about the State of Connecticut’s recycling laws by clicking here.
Redeemable beer and soda bottles should be returned for their deposit value or use a local donation center that collects redeemable for local charity.
What is the issue with glass?
After your recyclables are picked up at the curb, waste haulers bring the materials to a transfer station. It is then taken to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF). The facility’s machines and employees sort the materials using conveyor belts, screens, optical scanners, forced air, and magnets to identify and group materials together. The sorted materials are then bailed and sold to market to be made into new products.
While it’s convenient for residents to mix recyclables in the same bin, the sorting process for mixed recycling isn’t perfect. Machines and employees at the MRF cannot remove all the contamination. One of the biggest contaminates is broken glass particles. The pieces of glass attach themselves to paper, cardboard, and other recyclables contaminating the bails and reducing their market value. The glass itself that is sorted is contaminated with bits and pieces of other items such as small pieces of paper, bottle caps, metal, and straws. There is a cost to clean the glass in order for it to be recycled. Most MRF glass is sent to landfills as Alternate Daily Cover (ADC) and is never recycled into a new bottle or jar.
In addition, the glass is hard on equipment, accelerating the wear and tear on conveyor belts, screens and other moving parts.
What is the solution?
Due to current recycling markets, the cost to accept and process recyclables has increased significantly. In addition, contamination has also increased and has reduced the value of the commodities. In order to address the quality of the recyclables and to manage the increased cost, the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority is implementing a program to recycle glass separate from the mixed recycling stream. This will increase the value of the overall mixed recycling stream and make the separated glass more marketable to be sold and recycled into new bottles and jars.
Glass is a Connecticut state mandated recyclable. All residents, businesses, schools and municipalities must recycle glass.
You may bring your glass to your local participating transfer station or contact a local hauler who provides the service at the curb.
How do I recycle glass correctly?
It is essential that you recycle ONLY acceptable glass. If you add any unacceptable items you contaminate the entire load and it will be either rejected or cost your town contamination fees.
1.) Rinse your glass containers, remove lids or caps.
2.) Place in a box or bag separate from your mixed recycling bin.
3.) Drop-off at your local participating recycling center during operating hours.
Note: Local transfer stations may require an annual permit to use the facility. Visit your town’s website or HRRA for more information
Local Glass Drop-Off Locations
Bethel
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Bethel Transfer Station
Location:
Bethel Transfer Station
Route 53 at 1 Sympaug Park Road
Bethel, CT 06801
(Behind the Highway Department)
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday & Thursday 7:00am-3:00pm
Friday 7am -12pm
Saturday 7am – 3pm
(closed for lunch from noon to 1:00pm)
Permit:
Required – Free
Please click here to download a permit application.
NOTE: Due to COVID, please fill out the permit and e-mail or regular mail to the Town Clerk’s Office. A permit will be mailed to you.
Bridgewater
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Bridgewater Town Garage
Location:
324 Hut Hill Rd.
Bridgewater, CT
Hours:
Tuesday: 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Permit:
Not Required
Brookfield
Place recyclable glass in collection container at Brookfield Municipal Center
There is a glass only collection container located next to the Fire House on Pocono Road. Enter at the Refuse Yard and you will see the container on your right in the gravel parking lot in front of the soccer field.
Location:
Gravel parking lot between 92 Pocono Road and 100 Pocono Road
Hours:
24 Hours per day, 7 Days per week
Permit:
Not Required
Danbury
Kent
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Kent Transfer Station.
Location:
Maple Street (Route 341 East) Kent
Hours:
Saturday and Sunday
8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Gate Closes at 3:15 p.m.
New Fairfield
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the New Fairfield Drop-Off Center
Location:
33 Bigelow Road
New Fairfield, CT 06812
Hours:
Tuesday & Saturday:
8:00 am – 3:45 pm
Thursday:
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Permit:
Required
Permit may purchased on site at the New Fairfield Drop-off Center or online – click here
New Milford
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the New Milford Recycling Center.
Location:
18 Young’s Field Road, New Milford
Phone:
860-799-5068
Hours:
Monday: 7:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Tuesday-Friday: 7:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Saturday: 7:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m
Permit
Required
$20 for New Milford Residents
$40 Commercial (10 employees or less)
The first sticker per household is FREE for Senior Citizens (65+)
Where to get permit:
New Milford Residents:
Please Click Here to download a permit application
Permit may be purchased at the
Recycling Center
18 Young’s Field Road
Newtown
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Newtown Transfer Station
Location:
4 Ethan Allen Rd.
Newtown, CT 06470
Permit:
Not required to recycle glass
Residents are encouraged (not required) to separate glass from their mixed recycling bin.
We understand going to the transfer station may not be ideal. Ideas are currently under consideration on how to separate glass curbside.
In the meantime, for those who are able to take it to the transfer station, there will be a container for “glass only”.
A permit is NOT required to access the transfer station to recycle glass.
The Town of Newtown is the only town in the HRRA Region that has municipal collection of recycling. This means the cost of collection is in your tax dollars. Due to market conditions, the rate of recycling has increased from $10 a ton to now $94 ton. Glass is the heaviest material in the mixed recycling stream. When glass is removed from the mixed stream we can reduce the cost by $10-$15 per ton.
Glass in the Mixed Stream vs Collecting it Separately:
Currently, glass that is mixed in the stream is not being used for new glass products. It is turned into a beneficial material for landfill cover replacing the use of earthen products, which isn’t the highest & best use. However, when we collect glass separately, it becomes a quality material for recycling into bottles, composite industrial fillers for cement blocks, fiber glass products and many other recycled products.
Ridgefield
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Ridgefield Recycling Center
Location:
59 South St. Ridgefield, CT
Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday
7:30 am – 3:00 pm
Permit:
Required
Permits can be purchased at the Ridgefield Town Hall, Tax Collector’s Office or through the mail. Please click here to download a permit application.
Redding
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Redding Transfer Station
Location:
Redding Transfer Station
84 Hopewell Woods Rd.
Redding, CT 06896
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Permit:
Required
Please click here to download a permit application.
Roxbury
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Roxbury Transfer Station
Location:
35 Lower County Road
Roxbury, CT 06783
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday
8:00 am – 3:30 pm
Permit:
Required
Please click here to download a permit application.
Permit is valid July 1st-June 30th
Sherman
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Sherman Public Works
Location:
Mallory Town Hall
9 Rte 39 North
Sherman, Connecticut 06784
Permit:
Not Required
Weston
Place all “non-redeemable” glass items in the glass collection container at the Weston Transfer Station.
This location has a bottle and can donation system. All proceeds are used by Boosters to improve the quality and safety of Weston Athletics. Please place your unwanted beer and soda bottles in their collection containers. All other food and beverage containers that are non-redeemable should go in the glass only container. Signs are posted to guide you.
Location:
237 Godfrey Road East, Weston
Hours:
Tuesday* – Friday:
8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday:
8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. *Holiday’s observed on Tuesday’s
Tuesday* – Friday:
8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday:
8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. *Holiday’s observed on Tuesday’s
Permit:
Required
Free to every resident.
A sticker is issued with the motor vehicle tax bill every June, and is valid for 1 year.
Wilton
Place recyclable glass in separate collection container at the Wilton Transfer Station.
Location:
71 Mather Street
Wilton, CT 06897
71 Mather Street
Wilton, CT 06897
Hours:
Monday – Thursday:
7:00 am-3:30 pm
Saturday:
9:00 am-12:00 pm
Permit:
Required
FY2024 vehicle permit sticker fees are as follows:$40 for first vehicle for residents age 64 and younger.
$20 for second vehicle.
Residents age 65 years and up, $20 for any vehicle.Click here for permit application
Required
FY2024 vehicle permit sticker fees are as follows:$40 for first vehicle for residents age 64 and younger.
$20 for second vehicle.
Residents age 65 years and up, $20 for any vehicle.Click here for permit application
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT GLASS CAN I RECYCLE?
The glass program accepts all colors of food and beverage glass. Labels can stay on.
If you can see through it, we can likely recycle it!
For a complete list of glass items that can and can’t be recycled, please click here.
WHY ISN'T GLASS COLLECTED IN MY MIXED RECYCLING BIN?
The short answer—glass breaks.
When glass is mixed with other recyclables, broken glass degrades and contaminates those other materials, reducing their value and sometimes their ability to be sold to market. In addition, the glass that is collected along with other recyclables is often sent to landfills as an Alternate Daily Cover and never recycled into a new product.
DOES THE HRRA PROVIDE BINS OR TOTES FOR MY HOME TO COLLECT GLASS?
The short answer is – No
The HRRA and participating municipalities are not providing small carry containers to collect glass. We encourage you to reuse a box or a bag to collect your glass bottles and jars to transport them to your local recycling center.
DO I HAVE TO SEPARATE GLASS BY COLOR?
No, you don’t! All brown, green, blue, and clear food and beverage containers can be mixed together in the same collection bin.
DO I NEED TO REMOVE THE LABELS?
Nope. You can leave all the labels on your containers, unless you’re into label peeling and you find joy in it.
DO I NEED TO REMOVE LIDS AND CAPS?
If you can take them off easily, that would be great! We are trying to create a clean and valuable collection of glass without any contamination.
DO I HAVE TO RINSE THE CONTAINERS?
That would be nice. But it’s not essential. You may find that rinsing the bottles and glass containers keeps your home or garage smelling a bit fresher.
CAN I PUT PYREX OR COFFEE MUGS IN THE GLASS BIN?
We cannot accept Pyrex, Corning ware, ceramics, dishware, or your left overs. We can accept all glass food and beverage containers of any color (including mason jars). These items are not made of the same glass recipe as beverage and food containers. Placing these items in the bin will contaminate an entire load and could either be rejected or cost the region more money for alternative disposal. It’s important to ONLY put acceptable items in your collection bin.
CAN I PUT MIRRORS, LIGHT BULBS OR TVs IN THE BIN?
Another short answer. No
For the same reasons you can not put pyrex dishes or ceramic, please do not put mirrors, light bulbs or TVs in your collection bin.
Some light bulbs contain mercury and should be recycled with your electronic waste along with the TV.
Mirrors should be placed in your household trash.
CAN I PUT WINDOWS, SHOWER DOORS OR GLASS TABLE TOPS IN THE BINS?
Sorry the answer is another NO.
We can not accept glass that is laminated (think windshields), or safety glass that is designed not to break. When in doubt, e-mail us at info@hrra.org
We can ONLY accept glass bottles, and food jars and containers.
CAN I PUT CANDLE JARS OR VOTIVES IN THE BINS?
No
WHAT IS GLASS CULLET?
Glass cullet is glass that is cleaned, crushed and ready to be processed into new products including glass containers, fiberglass, reflective paints, abrasives, aggregates, and more.
CAN THE HRRA HELP WITH RECYCLING AT LOCAL EVENTS?
Yes. The HRRA through the support of CT DEEP offers special event recycling containers called Clear Stream Bins. We provide the bins and the clear bag inserts. Email info@hrra.org for more information.
SHOULD I INCLUDE REDEMPTION BOTTLES IN MY GLASS CONTAINER?
The short answer is no.
You should redeem your bottle deposit at a local redemption center or return to a grocery store. If you can not get to redemption center or grocery store to return your bottles for redemption, they are acceptable for recycling in the glass collection program.
Can I bring my glass to Strategic Materials or Urban Mining myself?
The short answer is – No.
These are processing plants established to collect glass from suppliers.
Environmental Facts
Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity.
Glass is made from readily-available domestic materials, such as sand, soda ash, limestone and “cullet,” the industry term for furnace-ready recycled glass.
Recycled glass can be substituted for up to 95% of raw materials.
Manufacturers benefit from recycling in several ways: Recycled glass reduces emissions and consumption of raw materials, extends the life of plant equipment, such as furnaces, and saves energy.
Recycled glass containers are always needed because glass manufacturers require high-quality recycled container glass to meet market demands for new glass containers.
Recycled glass is always part of the recipe for glass, and the more that is used, the greater the decrease in energy used in the furnace. This makes using recycled glass profitable in the long run, lowering costs for glass container manufacturers—and benefiting the environment.
http://www.gpi.org/recycling/glass-recycling-facts
For more facts on glass recycling visit www.gpi.org
Much of the information provided on this page came from Ripple Glass. A successful glass recycling company. You can visit their site at https://www.rippleglass.com/