Glass recycling event coming to O’Hara

A pop-up event in OHara will give residents a chance to discard glass items which will be recycled into mayonnaise jars, beer bottles and other consumer products.

The collection will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 14 in the municipal lot, 325 Fox Chapel Road.

Presented by the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC), the event will be co-hosted by O’Hara and Fox Chapel.

“Glass included and compacted with other recyclable materials as part of the single-stream recycling program contaminates the other materials,” Fox Chapel manager Gary Koehler said. “The issue is that it may be doing more harm than good by being included with other recyclables. There is a need to educate the public and develop a sustainable program to recycle glass.”

According to the PRC, glass is one of the most recyclable materials generated in homes despite being removed from many curbside programs in the state.

For every six tons of recycled glass used in manufacturing, there is one ton of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.

At the Sept. 14 event, all colored glass bottles, jars and jugs will be taken. Caps, lids and labels can be left on but the containers should be empty.

Items not accepted include window glass, drinking glasses, dishware, ceramics, mirrors, light bulbs and TVs.

Pennsylvania is home to three glass mills that will re-purpose glass collected during the event into pickle jars, liquor bottles and other products.

Glass bottles and jars are entirely recyclable, according to the PRC website, and they can be made into new bottles that are up to 95 percent recycled content.

The turnaround on glass recycling is about 30 days.