Glass must be dropped off to be recycled in DeKalb

If DeKalb County residents want their used glass recycled, they'll need to separate it from other recyclable materials.

DeKalb's government is encouraging residents to bring glass to drop-off locations because the county's recycling company has stopped processing glass.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in December that counties and cities across metro Atlanta work with companies that reject glass from their recycling streams.

Many recyclers in the region and nationwide no longer accept glass because it damages other materials like cardboard, paper, plastic and aluminum. The glass often ends up in landfills.

“Separating glass from other recyclable materials is the most effective way to recycle it,” the county wrote Wednesday in a recycling update.

Residents can continue placing glass in recycling containers or throw it away if they don’t want to sort it and drop it off.

The DeKalb Sanitation Division is developing an official glass recycling drop-off program with locations throughout the county.