Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority accepting glass again

Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority, WWRA, is recycling glass again! Bridgewater and Manchester Township residents can drop off both clear and colored glass at the bins located at 455 W. Main St. (grocery store parking lot) in the Village and the corner of Austin and Boettner Roads at the Bridgewater Depot in Bridgewater Township. All containers have to be empty and rinsed.

Local recycling is a process of collecting glass from residents, processing the materials, said Jason Maciejewski, the Dexter Township representative to the WWRA and the board chair. Then it’s sold to a vendor that can either manufacture a new product from the recycled goods or re-sell to another company. The WWRA accepted glass for many years. But when the market for glass evaporated, collection of glass was dropped. The good news is that about a year ago, the WWRA secured a new vendor that would buy glass.

“It’s part of a system,” said Maciejewski. “The secondary markets for all of our materials ebbs and flows, based on supply, demand, and other economic fluctuations. We’re glad that we were able to find another vendor to take our glass.”

Manchester Village residents have curbside recycling through Modern Waste Systems in addition to access to WWRA bins. Clear glass is recyclable through curbside but colored glass is not. Colored glass needs to be recycled at the WWRA drop off bins. 

The Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority is a non-profit public recycling program that was formed in 1991 with a State Grant to help Protect Michigan’s Future by local residents. This Grant helped finance the construction of the 4200 square foot facility located at 8025 Werkner Road in Chelsea. The WWRA is subsidized by a group of five local communities that work cooperatively to implement residential recycling programs in the Townships of Dexter, Lyndon, Manchester and Lima, and the City of Chelsea. The townships are served by convenient drop-off centers while the City of Chelsea has weekly curbside recycling pick up.

For more information about the Authority and about “recycling, reusing, and reducing,” visit the WWRA website at www.wwrarecycles.org or “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wwrarecycles.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.