Release Date: September 19,2024

Mayor Malik Announces Updates to Glass Drop Off Recycling Program

Akron, Ohio, Sept. 19, 2024 — Today, Mayor Malik is announcing the city’s glass recycling drop off program has collected 80 tons of glass in the first year. The drop off program, which launched in Sept. 2023, has turned the recycling of glass in the City of Akron from a costly expense into a revenue generator which is ensuring the city is more successfully recycling this material. In addition, several of the city’s glass drop off recycling locations are changing this week in an effort to boost utilization of the program.

“I’m excited by the positive numbers we are seeing from our glass recycling drop off program,” said Mayor Malik. “Instead of costing us over $3,600 to take these 80 tons to the landfill or spending $1,760 to have the glass processed at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), we are instead profiting $1,600 to send this glass to Ohio-based company, O-I for processing and reuse. Separating glass recycling from the curbside bin reduces broken glass contamination from the single-stream curbside program and also enables us to more successfully recycle the glass itself.”

To further the success of the program, the city is changing locations of some under-utilized bins and adding a sixth bin location:

Akron’s Dog Park, 499 Memorial Parkway (pre-existing)
Goodyear Heights Metro Park, 1950 Eastwood (pre-existing)
Goodpark Golf Course, 530 Nome Ave (pre-existing)
New Location! Kenmore Community Center overflow lot, 880 Kenmore Blvd.
New Location! Joy Park Community Center, 825 Fuller St.
New Location! Firestone Metro Park Little Turtle Pond Lot, 2620 Harrington Rd.

We are removing the bins which were located at:

Diamond Crystal Ballfield (2175 Edwin Ave.)
Behind Spaghetti Warehouse (510 S. Main)

“Akron residents have really supported the city’s efforts to recycle more glass, and they are using our drop off locations all the time,” said Casey Shevlin, Director of Sustainability and Resiliency. “We’re excited to continue this program in these new locations and look forward to growing our glass recycling efforts further in future.”

In an effort to keep the city’s curbside recycling program sustainable, glass is no longer accepted inside curbside carts. Instead, residents are encouraged to use one of the six drop off locations conveniently located throughout the city.

Here's How to Recycle Glass in Akron:

Gather your glass jars and bottles – no need to remove labels.
Wash them out and remove any caps or corks.
Find the nearest City of Akron bin near you using this map.
Drop your glass in the bin.

The following items are acceptable for glass recycling:

Glass food jars
Spirit and wine, beer, & champagne bottles
Non-alcoholic beverage glass bottles

The following items are NOT Acceptable for glass recycling:

Windows
Mirrors
Light bulbs
Solar panels
Heat-resistant glass (e.g., Pyrex)
Drinking glasses
Computer/TV screens
Ceramics
Vases