Starting Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, glass will no longer be accepted in blue bins, and will instead be collected at drop-off sites across the city.
According to Tucson's Environmental and General Services Department, removing glass from curbside collection will reduce processing costs at the Materials Recovery Facility. The community drop-off sites are planned to keep glass reuse local and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This change is part of the City's Climate Action Plan, and comes after a 30,000-house recycling audit conducted by EGSD.
Drop-off sites will be opening in February, and more information will be mailed to all EGSD customers in January. Glass dropped off should be empty, clean, and dry, with lids and caps removed. There is no need to remove the labels.
Starting Feb. 21, 2021, here is what will be accepted in the blue barrel program:
- Plastic bottles, jugs, and containers
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Aluminum/tin cans