(The Center Square) – Tacoma is resuming glass recycling after pausing collection services months ago.
However, residents will have to use a drop-off location to recycle. Glass is still not allowed to be placed in residential recycling bins.
The city is partnering with Glass to Glass, which will recycle glass into new products. The company has a recycling facility located in Portland, Ore.
Last September, the city suspended glass recycling due to changes in the international glass market. The impacts of the market changes caused Tacoma’s previous glass processor to stop accepting glass for recycling.
The city allowed glass to be collected at drop-off sites during the pause. All collected glass was sent to a landfill while the city looked for a long-term solution.
The Seattle region’s major glass bottle manufacturer, Ardagh Glass Packaging, shut down its Seattle facility on Nov. 7, citing ongoing pressure from low-priced imports as the primary reason. This caused other jurisdictions to stop glass collection, including Skagit County.
Neighboring Seattle is continuing to accept glass recycling collection despite recent setbacks to the local glass recycling industry.
Tacoma’s Solid Waste Division is part of the Tacoma Environmental Services Department. The department’s budget for the 2025-2026 biennium year is set at $659 million, an 8% increase from $609 million budgeted for the 2023-2024 biennium year.
The increase includes a near $7 million increase to the Solid Waste Division’s contract costs. The budget notes that some increases were offset by redirected contract savings identified in other areas such as reduction in costs for residential and commercial commingled recycling.
“We’re pleased to provide our customers with a reliable glass recycling option again and hope the community feels confident in participating in Tacoma’s glass recycling program,” Solid Waste Division Manager Lewis Griffith said in a statement.
There are five designated glass drop-off locations throughout Tacoma. Residents can also drop off recycling at the recycle center at the Tacoma Recovery and Transfer Center on South Mullen Street.
