Page 8 - Mar-Apr2023 Vol40 No7

BLOUNT COUNTY By Lisa Hood Skinner
Recycling Future is “Clear as Glass”

Last November, the Blount County
Highway Department held its ribbon
cutting for a new glass recycling mill at
its operations center in Maryville. County
officials there said the mill represents an
investment in the future that probably
outlives all of them…by adding years to
the local landfill’s lifespan.
Jim Cox, operations manager of the
Blount County Highway Department, said
the glass mill is destined to extend the life
of the landfill, since heavy glass accounts
for a major (and costly) part of the practices, looked at equipment, rallied for from September 15 to January 19, the
landfill’s contents. As more glass is thrown funding and were on track to bring the county had collected 65,050 pounds
away, a landfill’s lifespan is shortened and glass grinder to Blount County until the of glass and put it through its grinder,
inches closer to its total capacity. COVID pandemic disrupted the world as “and that’s not doing too badly,” he said,
But not anymore. The county’s new we know it, causing some understandable chuckling. “Plus, a lot of recycle centers
GP-IHD Andela Glass Pulverizer is approval delays. only take items from people who live in
capable of processing 10 tons of glass Cox said they were determined to do it that area. I say bring it on, bring it to us,
in just one hour. It’s a project that the right, and although it took a little longer even if you live outside our county. We’ll
department’s been working on for the than they’d hoped, the new facility is take it. I hate seeing litter on the side of
past five years, and was identified as a top “totally first class.” The glass grinder mill the roads.”
need in the area, Cox said. went online last fall with a soft opening It’s fairly easy for people who want to
“The number one complaint to our before the ribbon cutting, he said, to recycle glass. They simply place all of the
department was not about potholes, get the community up to speed about glass items into a recycling bin labeled
or paving. The number one complaint how and where to bring the glass. As for glass at the Blount County Recycling
was that we were not taking glass for the department put out the word on its Center, with no need for sorting bottles
recycling,” he said. website and via other methods, usage or ripping off the labels.
Thus began the journey to get a glass increased and residents began flocking to The other side of the ledger sheet
grinder. Determined, Blount County the facility. shows future profitability in what the
Highway Superintendent, Jeff Headrick It’s too early to have a lot of financials county does with the pulverized glass
and his department studied best about its to-date impact, but Cox said byproduct. The recycled glass comes out

8 TPW March/April 2023