Page 8 - TNPW Mar-Apr 2018

METRO NASHVILLE By Mark Valencia
Honky Tonk Glass Bottle Recycling

Out of all the Honky Tonks, Nashville amount of glass out of the waste stream, Although glass recycling has been
and Mayor Megan Barry selected 20 where we’re not sending it all to the difficult, the Glass Recycling Coalition
Lower Broadway bars and restaurants to landfill anymore.” conducted a survey and found that 96
participate in a new glass bottle recycling percent of consumers surveyed “expect
program. On January 23rd, Barry, along With the need to recycle more, to be able to recycle glass.” The survey
with Metro Public Works, launched Nashville decided to focus some of their involved 250 people from the public,
the Honky Tonk Glass Bottle Recycling efforts on glass recycling. Glass bottle glass industry, and recycling processors.
Program at Legends Corner. Outside of sorting at the source is fairly simple for According to the survey, the main factors
Legends Corner, Barry and Metro Public bar staff and patrons. The glass bottles are that determine an end market for recycled
Works displayed the two trash trucks disposed of into a separate glass bottle glass are price per ton and lowest cost per
purchased for the program along with bin. The glass bottle bins are picked up ton, transportation costs, and highest and
several recycling containers displaying the twice daily by Metro staff, and loaded best end use. One of the closest recycled
Honky Tonk logos. into one of the new trash trucks. The glass glass processors is in Jackson. Until
bottles are then taken to a recycling center new markets are developed or end use
With Nashville being a popular where the bottles are crushed into a new products are made within the state, it may
destination for the music, honky tonks, sustainable product.
and night life, it made sense to work on
developing a glass recycling program.
Every night, Lower Broadway throws
out thousands of beer bottles and
with no means to recycle the bottles,
almost all bottles are disposed of at the
landfill. According to the EPA, “It takes
approximately one million years for a glass
bottle to break down” in a landfill. It’s safe
to say the less glass we put into our landfill
and the more we recycle, the more we
reduce the burden placed on our limited
landfills.

“Last fiscal year, a record of more
than 6,600 tons of trash was produced
downtown, and we estimate that about
two-thirds of that was glass,” said Sharon
Smith, Assistant Director at Metro Public
Works. “This will take a significant

8 TPW March/April 2018