Glass Recycling Foundation awards $150K in grants

The Glass Recycling Foundation (GRF), an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based group that provides grants to assist with upgrading equipment, providing collection containers for glass drop-offs, developing resident education and other glass recovery-related projects, has released its 2023 impact report.

The report highlights more than $150,000 in grants that supported 11 projects diverting nearly 1,660 tons, or more than 3.3 million pounds, of glass from landfills. This equates to more than 7.5 million glass bottles that were recycled as a result of the GRF’s local engagements.

The grants were made possible by donations from Anheuser Busch Foundation, Diageo, Legacy Marketing (Corona) and Wine and Spirit Wholesalers.

“Donations from brands, manufacturers and others that utilize recycled glass bottles and containers enable the GRF to provide support to those that are trying to improve glass recycling,” says Laura Hennemann, secretary for the GRF and senior vice president of sustainability and corporate affairs at Strategic Materials Inc. “Ensuring glass is prioritized and kept in local recycling programs is key to continuing to grow the industry and provide a much-needed feedstock for responsible manufacturing. The GRF is excited to support those organizations that are passionate about keeping glass on the infinite recycling loop.”

A number of projects were supported by GRF grants in 2023:

• The city of Fairfax, Virginia, received a $6,000 grant to help increase awareness and participation in its Purple Can Club, a glass-only drop-off recycling program created in response to communities removing glass from single-stream collection. The grant funds were used to purchase 3,000 reusable tote bags that were given to residents, along with educational material, to make collecting and transporting glass to the drop-off stations easier.
• Justice Industries, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Brentwood, Tennessee, that creates jobs for people with barriers to employment and runs Just.Glass, a program that provides commercial glass recycling solutions for bars, restaurants and hotels in Nashville, received a $6,000 grant to grow the Just.Glass program by purchasing more recycling carts and doing increased outreach to work with new customers.
• Bottle Underground is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects glass bottles and jars from local businesses and community members and then sorts the glass for upcycling, reuse or recycling, received an $18,000 grant to build out its glass recycling infrastructure and improve glass processing efficiencies. 

Additionally, the GRF recently signed agreements with seven new entities that will be working on projects in 2024. These grant recipients are Keep Waco Beautiful in Texas; the city of Omaha, Nebraska; SDS Foundation in Kansas; the city of Temple, Texas; Baldwin County, Alabama; Logan County, Ohio; and the Pennsylvania Resources Council.

“New glass bottles and jars can include over 90 percent recycled content, with glass that is domestically sourced, yet over nine million tons of glass go to landfills each year in the U.S.,” says Scott DeFife, president of GRF and president of the Glass Packaging Institute, Arlington, Virginia. “Glass is endlessly recyclable, and residents want to recycle glass. We need to do better. The GRF is demonstrating that it takes collaboration and a variety of solutions to make a significant impact in glass recycling.”

The GRF is opening the application period for the next round of grants May 29. Eligible grantees include nonprofit entities, municipalities, state and county governments and public waste management districts. Applications must be submitted by July 10. Information on the GRF grant program and the grant application can be found here.

“New glass bottles and jars can include over 90 percent recycled content, with glass that is domestically sourced, yet over nine million tons of glass go to landfills each year in the U.S.,” says Scott DeFife, president of GRF and president of the Glass Packaging Institute, Arlington, Virginia. “Glass is endlessly recyclable, and residents want to recycle glass. We need to do better. The GRF is demonstrating that it takes collaboration and a variety of solutions to make a significant impact in glass recycling.”

Information on the GRF grant program and the grant application can be found here.