This week, officials with Baltimore County’s Department of Public Works revealed they haven’t been meeting recycling expectations.
Despite continuing to collect glass materials in recycling bins, the county says it has not been recycling them since 2013.
That same year, the county opened a $23 million single-stream recycling facility in Cockeysville, MD.
The county cites material contaminants, like shredded paper, as being difficult to separate from broken glass fragments, contributing to the recycling challenges.
Despite the hiatus, Baltimore County is still urging its residents to sort glass into recycling bins instead of throwing it in the trash.
They hope if people maintain the habit, that glass recycling can resume when the right solution is available.
A spokesperson for Baltimore County says they are in preliminary discussions with an independent vendor about recycling glass materials.