EVERETT — Disruption in the local glass recycling industry hasn’t affected Snohomish County — yet.
On Nov. 7, Ardagh Glass Packing’s plant in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood permanently closed, laying off 250 workers. Previously, glass recycling in Seattle and surrounding areas would be picked up, sorted and cleaned, and then taken to Ardagh to be remade into wine bottles.
But now cities are struggling to recycle glass without their main buyer. Tacoma is sending glass to landfills and Seattle is stockpiling picked-up glass, hoping a new buyer will appear.
Snohomish County hasn’t needed to store glass yet, and is still collecting and delivering glass to its local vendor who then hauls it to Strategic Materials, Inc., said Snohomish County Solid Waste Director Dave Schonhard.
“If we lose this option, we have capacity to store approximately one month’s worth of glass,” he wrote in an email.
Ardagh’s closure and the ensuing panic to find replacement buyers stems from a shifting wine market and competition with imported wine bottles from China.
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the state’s biggest wine company, reduced its grape purchases by 40% this year. The decision means 11,000 acres of grapes won’t be used, according to Washington wine commission statistics.
The downsize mirrors challenges nationwide and global wine industry challenges. Last year, wine sales in the United States decreased by 3% and are estimated to see a similar drop this year, according to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2024 wine industry report.
Imported wine bottles also played a part in Ardagh’s closure. In January, Ardagh and United Steelworkers tried to stop low-priced imports from China, Chile and Mexico to avoid competition. But in September, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled the U.S. industry was not materially injured or threatened by glass bottles coming from China, allowing the imports to continue.
Troubles with the wine industry disrupt the entirety of local glass recycling. If there’s no market for disposed glass to be remade into new products, then there will be no avenue for recycling.
“If local recycling markets no longer exist, glass can potentially be used for other beneficial uses, such as roadbed foundation in regional landfills,” Schonhard said. “Ultimately, if it is determined that there are no end-use markets or beneficial uses for the material, it will be processed as garbage.”
Schonhard suggests customers check with their curbside provider for any changes in recycling services. But for now, Snohomish County residents can bring clean, dry glass bottles and jars to any Snohomish County Solid Waste facility.
Eliza Aronson: 425-339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson. Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
