Glass bottles and jars must be recycled, and they should be empty, clean, and dry. This is really important for making sure that the recyclables coming out of the facility are not contaminated. If they are too contaminated, they might have to go to the landfill instead of being recycled.

TIP: For glass bottles and jars that contain difficult-to-remove liquids such as oil or peanut butter, fill the container with hot soapy water then allow to soak and/or shake vigorously to remove as much residue as possible before rinsing with clean water.

Thanks to Vermont’s bottle bill, glass bottles (soda, beer, and liquor) can be redeemed for 5 cents apiece at a certified redemption center. Or, you can bring them (along with your aluminum cans) to our Stowe site to donate the redemption amount to United Way Lamoille County and the Lamoille Community Food Share, or to our Johnson site to donate to the Lamoille Area Cancer Network.

Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours, power a computer for 30 minutes, or operate a television for 20 minutes.

Glass is 100% recyclable and, if it’s clean, it can be recycled endlessly into more glass bottles without losing quality. But when you recycle glass, it isn’t necessarily becoming a glass bottle in its next life (although ~80% of them will). Recycled glass can also be used to make fiberglass insulation, alternate daily cover for landfills, sand blasting, water filtration materials, or road base aggregate. Check out the videos to the side –> to watch some of these processes in action.