Dear Editor:
I am always glad to see recycling reported in the newspaper and it's even better when recycling finds its way to the editorial page. I just wanted to say that Jefferson City is doing glass recycling right with its current arrangement with Ripple Glass and the distinctive purple collection containers. Keeping glass separate from all other materials really is the best management practice for this material. To add glass to the curbside single-stream recycling system in Jefferson City would be a mistake as it would cause more problems with contamination and increase the chances that more material would be landfilled than recycled.
The other bonus to the City of Jefferson's partnership with Ripple Glass is that we are supporting a Missouri-based business and creating more jobs than if that glass were landfilled. Ripple Glass is a Kansas City based business that is having a huge impact in the Midwest region by keeping thousands of tons of glass out of landfills and turning scrap glass into fiberglass insulation and bottles.
By continuing our current arrangement with Ripple Glass the residents of Jefferson City will continue to support jobs in Missouri and ensure that glass is truly recycled. I think it would be a mistake to add glass to the list of materials that can be recycled through the single stream curbside recycling service.