O-I launches glass recycling programme in Kentucky

O-I Glass has launched a pilot programme to increase glass recycling in Slade, Kentucky, USA.

O-I has partnered with soft drink brand Ale-8-One to create a programme tailored to the Red River Gorge area.

The Gorge draws thousands of visitors yearly, but glass often ended up in landfills without the proper recycling infrastructure.

Recognising this challenge, the team designed a programme to increase glass recycling and raise awareness of its benefits.

Miguel’s Pizza, a popular local restaurant, became the programme’s starting point.

Its convenient location near the Gorge offered an ideal hub for community participation.

A 20-yard recycling container was placed at the restaurant to allow its customers to recycle glass.

O-I supplied two of these containers to Ale-8-One, including the one at Miguel's Pizza.

Ale-8-One will collect and deliver the glass to O-I's facilities, where the bottles will be processed and turned into new glass containers.

This local effort complements O-I’s broader sustainability mission, exemplified by its glass manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Ale-8-One and O-I plan to expand glass recycling to other Kentucky locations, and invite more businesses and communities to join the effort.