Recycling

View the Recycling Flyer to find out what we accept and where to take it. Click the image to open the flyer as a PDF document.  Recycling locations and other info are listed on the backside of the flyer. Call 360-385-9160 if you have questions about recycling.

Glass Recycling Stops on 12/1/2024

On December 1 2024 Jefferson County had to stop accepting glass for recycling.  This was after months of collecting and stockpiling glass while waiting to see if glass recycling markets would recover.   We reached storage capacity by October 1. 2024 and had to start shipping the collected glass to the landfill at a loss of approximately $10,000 a month.  With no new markets for glass are on the horizon,  Jefferson County, like many other Puget Sound counties, had to stop collecting glass as part of our recycling program. This includes on-site drop off and curbside pickup services.

Update on Bottle bill in WA State 2/7/2025

Senate Bill 5502 and its House companion bill 1607 are moving through the Washington state legislature.  The bipartisan bills, introduced by Sens. June Robinson (D-Everett) and Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham) and Reps. Monica Stonier (D-Vancouver) and Kevin Waters (R-Stevenson), would create a recycling refund program for beverage containers in Washington state.

Resources

• https://l2020.org/glass/ Local 20/20 has been compiling a list of local businesses that can take back or refill glass containers, or that carry bulk items often purchased in glass.
• The Jefferson County Beacon: Jefferson County’s Glass Recycling Woes Raise Call for a Bottle Bill written by Nhatt Nichols (Nov 18, 2024).  A comprehensive article by a worker-directed news non-profit which addresses questions in response to the glass recycling change.
• Solid Waste Manager Glass Recycling presentation to the Board of County Commissioners November 12, 2024. The presentation begins at 3:33:32 of the meeting video. Meeting Documents (username and password is: public)
• Seattle Times “Closure of WA glass plant shows need for reforming recycling system” (Nov 29, 2024)
• King5 article and news video : Lack of demand for recycled glass leads to change in rules (Sept 25, 2024) “We just don’t have any other options for recycling right now,” said Margo Gillaspy, solid waste division manager for Skagit County Public Works.
• An article about the Ardagh closure, the catalyst event for glass recycling removal: Ardagh permanently closing Seattle wine bottle facility, citing unfavorable ITC decision

RECYCLED GLASS FAQ

Q:  Why did Jefferson County stop accepting glass for recycling?

A:  Like all of the materials accepted as part of the County’s recycling program, there needs to be a steady demand for the material.  The regional market for glass closed with less than a month’s notice and this left Puget Sound counties without an outlet.

Q:  Why did the market close?

A:  For several reasons including international trade agreements that have left domestic manufacturers at a disadvantage to off-shore markets, a recent US International Trade Commission ruling that disfavored the domestic bottle manufacturers who had filed a complaint,
and a slump in demand for the bottles produced by the Seattle manufacturer.  All this contributed to the closure of the Seattle bottle plant.

Q:  Can’t you grind the glass into sand and sell it?

A:  Real sand can be purchased from a local quarry at about $15 per ton.  There’s no way to compete with real sand after factoring in the initial start-up and ongoing operations and maintenance costs of a glass pulverizing plant, the labor and capital costs for processing a contaminated feedstock, handling the water leachate, permit fees, and finally transportation to some distant and limited market.

Q:  Why does Sequim still get to recycle glass?

A:  The City of Sequim has had a long-standing contract with a cement recycler in Tumwater and they pay this company to accept their glass.  This company accepted Jefferson County’s inventory of glass for a few weeks after the Seattle market closed and then shut their doors to non-contracted counties and cities.

Q:  Why aren’t you treating this like a crisis?

A:  Glass makes up about 1% of the total solid waste stream in Jefferson County.  While it is far from ideal that we have to landfill glass, it is inert and non-toxic and poses no risk to the environment.  In order to keep the fee for garbage disposal as low as possible, staffing of the Solid Waste Division is kept lean and we all wear multiple hats.  With such limited staffing, our focus needs to be on making urgently needed capital repairs to the transfer station and continuing with the planning effort underway to replace the rapidly aging and inefficient transfer station so that we can continue to manage the other 99% of the waste stream.

Q:  I hear there is local interest in starting a glass recycling facility here.  Is the County helping in those efforts?

A:  Public Works is not in the business of market development and it is a goal of the County’s Solid Waste Management Plan to “promote the use of private industry to carry out the components of the solid waste system”.  Consistent with this goal, Public Works contracts for recycling services with Skookum Contract Services and it is the contractor’s responsibility to identify commodity buyers and deliver materials to them. EDC Team Jefferson is working with several potential glass recycling start-ups and Public Works will provide them with information about this 1% of the waste stream on request.

Q:  What’s the fix?

A:  A bottle bill, like California, Oregon and British Columbia have.  These programs charge a small per bottle deposit fee and this encourages much higher rates of recycling, creates jobs, and keeps bottles out of the road side ditches.

Q:  Why is Washington the only west coast state without a bottle bill?

A:  That’s a question best asked of your elected representatives in the State legislature.  A bottle bill was introduced in the previous two sessions but either died in committee or failed to win majority support on the floor.  A bottle bill has not been introduced in the current session.