ANO file photo
Press Release
(July 7, 2011) A new bright yellow, glass-recycling bin has been placed outside the Dahl’s Food grocery store, 3121 Grand Ave. This bin provides alternatives to throwing container glass in the garbage and may help reduce costs at the Ames Power Plant.
Dahl’s joins the many other local glass-recycling sites that have bins including both Ames Fareway stores, Nevada Fareway, Ames Area Redemption, Prairie Moon Winery, Wheatsfield Cooperative, HyVee (West), Harlan’s in Story City, the Huxley Fire Station, several locations on the Iowa State University campus, and the Resource Recovery Plant, 110 Center Ave.
The bins feature holes at the top, and glass should be dropped through the hole. There is no need to remove labels or lids. Container glass includes food containers, as well as glass beverage containers of any color.
Keeping glass out of the garbage is important in Ames because the Resource Recovery Plant uses garbage to produce refuse derived fuel (RDF) for the Ames Power Plant. When glass is injected into the furnace section of the Power Plant boiler, it melts, builds up, and causes expensive repairs. Also, glass mixed with garbage often ends up with the non-burnable portion sent to the landfill. This increases transportation and dumping costs.
“Separating glass from garbage could defray power plant maintenance costs,” said Gary Freel, assistant superintendent of the Resource Recovery Plant. “It reduces the amount of rejected materials sent to the landfill, and it helps produce a useful product.”
All the collected glass is taken to the Resource Recovery Plant and crushed. Crushed glass can be used in industry, in area landscaping, and local construction projects. For more information, contact the Resource Recovery Plant at (515) 239-5137 or the City’s website at www.cityofames.org.
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