It’s Kuhl To Recycle: Glass – The Happy Ending
By Mark Kuhl
For the GPHN
Is glass really recycled?
Yes, at least here in Denver. In 2016, Momentum Recycling opened a glass recycling plant in Broomfield. Glass we toss in our purple bins is sorted at GFL near Globeville, and hauled to Momentum, where it is processed into cullet. This cullet is then supplied to local glass container manufacturers, including Owens-Illinois in Windsor and the Rocky Mountain Bottle Company in Wheat Ridge. Over a ton of natural resources are conserved for every ton of glass recycled – including 1,300 pounds of sand, 410 pounds of soda ash, 380 pounds of limestone, and 160 pounds of feldspar.
You may hear conflicting reports about the destiny of glass bottles tossed in recycle bins across the country. But here in Denver you can thank Momentum Recycling for ensuring your used glass containers are turned back into new ones.
Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his wife Nina and their two teenage daughters. Kuhl’s handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns for recycling everything from paint to Styrofoam to shoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/recycling-directory/.