Sustainable Missoula: How Missoula can give new life to old glass

“You don’t recycle glass?!” is a common exclamation from Missoula’s visitors and new residents. Trust me, we old-timers aren’t too happy about it either. While small-scale recycling and reuse programs are gaining a following, there is no question that Missoula has a glass problem.

Missoula’s Zero by Fifty initiative calls for a significant waste reduction by 2050 and, if we are to meet that goal, some big changes need to be made in how our city deals with glass. According to a 2014 EPA study, glass currently makes up 4.5% of the waste generated in the United States annually. That’s 11.43 million tons of glass waste. After recycling (at a national rate of about 5%), over 10.5 million tons of glass was destined for U.S. landfills in 2013. Landfills are the third largest emitter of methane in the United States according to the EPA.

By Sophie Frank, Sarah Lundquist, Olivia Leeder & Rose Bear Don’t Walk