GLASS could soon be added to the list of recyclable material here if a pilot project begins this spring.
The City of Terrace has teamed up with the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine in hopes of signing up someone to crush glass for local uses.
There’s no way for glass to be re-used in the area and people can’t drop it off at the city’s self-serve recycling bins next to the George Little House.
Bottle depots take their glass to a regional recycling centre in Prince Rupert.
Tara Irwin from the City of Terrace said one of the biggest issues with glass recycling is the weight of glass should it be transported. Safety is another concern because of the nature of glass.
“This could be a cost effective way to deal with this material,” she said of local glass recycling. “We shouldn’t be trucking them (products to be recycled) out of the community; we should be finding local solutions.”
Laurie Gallant from the regional district has received four responses after advertising for expressions of interest.
Gallant said there are many ways to use the glass here once it is crushed.
One use is as a cover for garbage at the Terrace and Thornhill dumps. Each now uses gravel as a cover once garbage gets to a certain depth.
If mulched fine enough, glass could also be used as landscaping material.
“There is no shortage of local uses,” Gallant explained. “This could be a very cost effective way of dealing with this material.”
Gallant said once the program is up and running there will be the possibility of local bottle return depots using the crushing service as well.
The pilot project would be evaluated after one year.
