At the recent Texas Glass Recycling Workshop co-hosted by State of Texas Alliance for Recycling and the Glass Recycling Coalition (GRC), Balcones Resources and Sedona Recycles received the GRC’s MRF Glass Certification. 

"Balcones is committed to keeping all of our recycling at the highest quality, and glass is no exception," said Kerry Getter, CEO of Balcones, in a statement. "If you take some extra steps to clean glass and maintain your equipment, recycling glass is an opportunity and creates a competitive advantage in the marketplace."

Balcones, an Austin, Texas-based materials recovery facility (MRF), was awarded a silver certification after submitting its application, photos of test audits and glass capture data. The MRF has been in operation for more than eight years processing approximately 30 tons of total recyclables per hour. Balcones has been an active member of the Glass Recycling Coalition since 2017. As part of the GRC’s speaker’s bureau, Balcones has touted the value of cleaning glass to achieve a higher quality material for sale in bottle-to-bottle and fiberglass options.

The second silver-level certification was awarded to Sedona Recycles, a nonprofit educational MRF in Sedona, Ariz. Glass makes up about 25 percent of the 3,500 tons of recyclables sorted at the MRF each year. Glass is collected separately, and Sedona Recycles is able to market its clean glass consistently.

"To us, glass is the most important material because it is endlessly recyclable," said Jill McCutcheon, executive director of Sedona Recycles, in a statement. "We want to see more glass recycled, and this certification can help to promote glass recycling in communities all over the country."

The GRC MRF Glass Certification was launched this fall to recognize effective glass recycling programs. The free certification program recognizes MRFs with additional equipment and operational procedures to clean up glass in both single and dual stream systems—producing more marketable and higher quality glass.

GRC’s website currently hosts an interactive map showing MRFs, glass processors and end markets across the country. GRC-certified MRFs will be noted on this map along with public recognition of this certification.

The glass certification criteria are judged on current infrastructure and a glass purity measure. An independent committee scores certification levels into gold, silver and bronze certifications. MRFs holding this certification will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.