In only eight months, GLASS4GOOD™ program in Waco, Texas, USA, has recycled more glass than the city recycled throughout the entire year of 2022.
O-I, in partnership with Keep Waco Beautiful, the City of Waco, and Pernod Ricard created GLASS4GOOD™ in Waco to make glass recycling more accessible to the community.
“Since launching in January 2023, we have seen civic engagement surrounding glass recycling skyrocket. This program is proof that if we create the solution to accessible recycling our community will support it,” said Carole Fergusson, Executive Director of Keep Waco Beautiful. “Since the initial launch we have more than surpassed our total 2022 glass recycling weights and have been able to engage with the general public on the necessary education about how glass recycling is one of the best economical recycling industries.”
The program launched on January 19, and since then, Waco has captured 194.46 tonnes of glass, over 50 tonnes more than their 2022 total. The glass captured is used to make new glass bottles at O-I’s Waco plant.
The GLASS4GOOD ™ program provides opportunity to increase recycled content, while creating more sustainable communities. Each quarter, the amount of glass collected is weighed and a donation is made (per ton of glass) to United Way of Waco-McLennan County. In the first two quarters of the program’s operation, O-I has donated more than USD 6,000 to the local United Way to support the community.
Waco currently has four glass recycling bins available to residents. In the coming years, the city hopes to offer more drop-off bins, making it even easier to recycle glass.
Glass recycling is a complex topic, particularly in North America. Through municipal, community and customer partnerships like the GLASS4GOOD™ program, O-I continues to make glass recycling more accessible in the communities in which they operate.