Cloudy with light rain early. High around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
Rain developing after midnight. Low 53F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Clarke County resident Christi McMullen is volunteering her time and effort to reduce the amount of glass deposited into landfills. A glass recycling program that began in May at the county’s convenience center has been so successful that it will be extended indefinitely. McMullen will use her glass-crushing machine to turn glass collected there into reusable sand.
Clarke County resident Christi McMullen is volunteering her time and effort to reduce the amount of glass deposited into landfills. A glass recycling program that began in May at the county’s convenience center has been so successful that it will be extended indefinitely. McMullen will use her glass-crushing machine to turn glass collected there into reusable sand.
BERRYVILLE — A glass recycling pilot program at Clarke County’s convenience center will continue indefinitely, having been deemed successful.
More than 2,000 bottles and jars were collected in May at the center on Quarry Road (Va. 612), off Harry Byrd Highway (Va. 7) east of Berryville.
The glass is being pulverized into sand that can be used for various purposes. Those include making cement, doing arts and crafts projects, creating sandboxes for children and mixing into soil to prevent erosion, according to Christi McMullen, a county resident spearheading the project voluntarily.
When combining with soil, “it stays fluffy,” McMullen said of the sand. “You don’t have to worry about it breaking down” like other materials do.
A trailer in which McMullen collects bottles and jars will continue to be stationed at the convenience center on weekends, said county spokeswoman Cathy Kuehner.
“I don’t think anybody had any personal expectations” as to how much glass would be collected, Kuehner said. However, the program has been “very well received” by the public.
For residential use only, the convenience center is open from 3-7 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday. It generally accepts only paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, and No. 1 (PET) and No. 2 (HDPE) plastic materials. Soft drink and water bottles and milk jugs are among the latter.
Glass wasn’t accepted at the center until May because demand for it isn’t as heavy as that for other types of recyclable materials, according to a county webpage. Many recycling centers nationwide also don’t accept glass, environment-related websites show, for that reason and others, including safety concerns and higher transportation costs because it’s heavier than other materials.
Bottles and jars are the only glass items being collected at Clarke’s center. Mirrors, windows and heat-tempered glass items, such as kitchenware, can’t be accepted.
Statistics show that only about one-third of discarded glass items in the United States are recycled. In Virginia, it’s only about 10%.
Because it’s made from sand, though, glass can be recycled over and over, noted Kuehner.
But it must be rinsed and cleaned before it’s deposited at the convenience center to prevent contamination, she emphasized. Lids, bottle caps and wine bottle corks also must be removed.
McMullen started the glass recycling effort on her own initiative, purchasing the collection trailer and a glass-crushing machine, which she keeps at home.
“She’s just passionate about recycling,” Kuehner said.
“It hurt my heart to have to put glass in the trash,” said McMullen.
One ton of glass — approximately what so far has been collected at the convenience center — takes up two cubic yards of landfill space and, when heated or melted, generates 7½ pounds of carbon dioxide, according to McMullen and websites.
“The more carbon dioxide that’s in the air, it creates a lot of pollution,” McMullen said. The less pollution there is, she said, “the less trees have to work” to filter harmful substances from the air.
She gives away the glass she crushes with her machine.
“I really don’t want to turn it into a business,” she said. “It’s just a hobby.”
She said that through an American distributor, she was able to buy a machine from a New Zealand manufacturer for about $7,000.
Anyone interested in following in her footsteps can type in “glass recycling” on Google to find such machines for sale, she said.
When recycling glass, “you have to be careful,” McMullen added. “But it’s pretty safe and pretty easy.”
— Contact Mickey Powell at mpowell@winchesterstar.com
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Comments are reviewed by moderators so they may not immediately appear. We appreciate your patience.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
News headlines delivered every weekday morning.
Would you like to receive our Breaking News? Sign up today!
Get our expert short-term forecast, summary of the weather details and news of any severe weather. Delivered every morning.
Roundup of local sports stories, delivered Saturday morning.
Best trending stories from the week, delivered Saturday morning.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
News headlines delivered every weekday morning.
Would you like to receive our Breaking News? Sign up today!
Get our expert short-term forecast, summary of the weather details and news of any severe weather. Delivered every morning.
Roundup of local sports stories, delivered Saturday morning.
Best trending stories from the week, delivered Saturday morning.