RippleGlass Recycling
How does this project advance the three pillars of sustainability — social equity, economic vitality and environmental stewardship?
Since 2009, Ripple Glass has operated a Kansas City metro-wide, post-consumer glass collection network and a processing facility that converts the recycled glass into reusable materials. Ripple's mission is to keep glass out of the landfill and make recycling work. At the heart of that statement is our desire to promote the environmental, economic and social benefits of recycling.
The environmental benefits of recycling glass are substantial — for every ton of glass recycled, another ton of natural resources are conserved. It lessens the demand for energy in the production of new glass products, saving 2–3percent for every 10percent of recycled glass used. For every six tons of recycled container glass used, one less ton of carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas — is produced.
In addition to our core business, Ripple supports five local, small businesses that offer separate curbside glass recycling services on a subscription basis. Ripple also partners with municipalities and private businesses in nine surrounding states through our regional collection program. All of our efforts add up to approximately 40,000 tons of glass annually, being processed into furnace-ready cullet. The resulting economic opportunity and job growth in the metro and wider region is substantial. An estimated eight jobs are supported by every 1,000 tons recycled.
Ripple believes that the costs and externalities of waste generation are often born by those most disadvantaged in our community. And through the direct support of jobs and direct avoidance of waste, we support the health and vitality of all members of our community.
Project Goals:
Ripple Glass was created out of the need for a local glass recycler and the need for a system to allow members of the community to recycle glass. Ripple Glass' goals are to create a sustainable recycling program for glass and raise participation in the program over 20 percent, up from 3 percent when Ripple was founded. We seek to expand our workforce and local impact in the metro and continue to support regional collection programs. It is imperative to Ripple that we maintain an economically viable operation rooted in Kansas City so that, unlike so many other communities, we are not faced with the decision to throw glass in the trash.
With the creation of our first community art bin — a Ripple drop-off bin wrapped in the work of local artist Frank Norton — we seek to increase the visibility and awareness of the program while fostering public art.
While Ripple’s principal purpose is to encourage the recycling of glass, we consistently encourage all types of recycling available to the MARC Solid Waste Management District (SWMD) residents and businesses. We will continue to pair education about glass recycling with other recycling information to encourage the proper use of recycling services, to minimize contamination and maximize diversion.
Project Description:
For the past nine years, Ripple Glass has provided glass recycling services for people and organizations throughout the Midwest. In the Kansas City metropolitan area, we offer over 100 drop-off locations in which residents can place their glass. In 2018 we established a commercial collection program.
We also provide recycling services for more than 95 communities throughout the Midwest. In our time in business, we’ve recycled over 200,000 tons of glass into furnace-ready cullet for our end users, Owens Corning and Ardagh Glass.
Community Benefits and Lessons Learned:
Ripple Glass provides the sole outlet for processing glass collected for recycling and an innovative, free community-wide drop-off program that serves Greater Kansas City. All of the glass collected is processed locally in Kansas City, Missouri, and our end-users of the recycled glass, or cullet, are in Kansas City, Kansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma. This keeps the entire glass recycling and processing system local with all the economic benefits staying in our local and regional communities.
Additionally, Ripple's regional collection program provides an option for economically viable collection of glass in communities of all sizes across a nine-state region. We have learned that our system of collection, independent from other recycling collections, is uniquely robust and stable. While, communities across the nation struggle to maintain economically viable glass recycling, Ripple continues to grow our services and have a local and national impact.
Funding Sources and Partnerships:
Ripple has worked in partnership with numerous local businesses and the MARC SWMD to establish our network of glass collection bins and promote public education on the community benefits of glass recycling. Our partners and sponsors include: UMB, DST, Price Chopper, Owens Corning and Boulevard Brewing Company. Our partnership with Boulevard Brewing and origins of the company represent an entirely voluntary form of product stewardship unique to our region.