Pa. County Seeks Money for Glass Crusher

Carbon County, Pa., is seeking money from the state Department of Environmental Protection to purchase a glass crusher for recycling. Plans call for old bottles to be mixed with other materials to make road surface materials, reducing transportation and sorting costs.

Carbon County plans to crush glass bottles so the glass can be added to concrete and asphalt, instead of paying to have them trucked away and sorted by color.

The county is asking the state Department of Environmental Protection for $38,700 to buy an Andela Pulverizer, said Duane Dellecker, director of solid waste for Carbon County.

Deadline for this year’s grant application was Oct. 4. According to Dellecker, the state should issue the grant by this coming spring.

The county pays $10 a ton to have its glass separated at a Berks County transfer station, Dellecker said. He said the county also pays to have the glass hauled to the transfer station in Hamburg.

Carbon County is a rural county, with a population of around 60,000 people spread out over around 400 square miles. The county has 11 townships and 12 bouroughs. According to Dellecker, if the grant money is received the county will then lease out the equipment to the different communities in the county.

The combination of a rural county and the collection of all types of glass has made the value of the recyclable low. By combining the clear, green and amber glass together Dellecker feels the county will be able to reduce the handling and processing costs.