Glass Packaging Institute members in the USA are partnering to create a circular economy for high quality recycled glass in Northern Virginia. O-I Glass and Strategic Materials are teaming up to create strong markets for glass in the region through a glass recycling drop-off programme.

To date, the Northern Virginia programme, nicknamed the ‘Purple Can Club’ and modelled after a Ripple Glass programme in Kansas City, has collected more than four million pounds of recycled glass that is now being shipped from a processing plant in Lorton, VA to one of Strategic Materials’ recycling facilities. O-I Glass completes the loop by buying recycled glass from Strategic Materials and remelting it at manufacturing plants in Danville and Toano, Virginia.

“This partnership between industry and city and county government is a step in the right direction for glass recycling and recovery efforts in the region” said Scott DeFife, President of the Glass Packaging Institute. “Residents of Northern Virginia know that glass is a recyclable, sustainable alternative to other packaging materials and have responded tremendously to the drop-off programme. There is a strong market for good quality recycled glass that is contaminant-free, and this partnership will help meet that demand.”

"There has long been a market for recycled glass in Virginia" added Randolph Burns, O-I Glass Inc’s Vice President of Global Government Affairs. "O-I Glass is thrilled to have the opportunity to incorporate Virginia’s recycled glass into the millions of glass containers we produce every day in our two Virginia glass plants."

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