TIMES RECORD • September 22, 2020
At one time, Brunswick made money on recycling, but since the markets collapsed when China introduced their new policies on contamination, all towns have been paying for the service, and many have found the cost unbearable. Glass is 11% of our recyclables, very heavy to transport, difficult to handle, and has little residual value as a recycled commodity. For the past two years, our processor has not been recycling glass at all, but we’re being charged for it to be recycled. Finely crushed, it is an excellent substitute for sand. Our current processor, unfortunately, does not have the means to make better use of the material, so it goes into their landfill instead.