Putting a bottle in a recycling cart does not mean that bottle gets recycled. Evansville residents deserve to know the difference—and deserve instructions that lead to actual recovery, not just collection.
Glass has been a glaring example of the gap between what residents expect and what the recycling system delivers. A January 2021 Courier & Press report addressed the loss of a glass-recycling outlet. By July 2024, WNIN reported that more than 30 tons of glass from the local curbside stream were going to landfill each month.
That is a lot of material for residents to sort, store, and put out in the belief that they are helping recycle it. Collecting something under the recycling banner should come with a clear explanation of what happens next.
Glass has a separate route
Tri-State Resource Recovery says it does not accept glass from city curbside recycling bins. It accepts clean glass separately in collection bins at its parking lot at 1511 Harriet Street, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Residents should confirm the facility’s accepted glass types and drop-off conditions before bringing a load.
The separate collection route is useful. It also makes clear why a broad statement that glass is “recyclable” is not enough. Residents need to know which route actually handles it. A curbside cart and a dedicated glass collection bin are not interchangeable.
The instructions should agree
The utility, collection contractor, and processor are all part of the same service from a resident’s point of view. Their public instructions should give the same answer. No one should have to telephone several offices or compare websites to learn what belongs in a cart.
The EWSU residential trash and recycling page should give customers a clear path to the applicable material rules and glass drop-off information. When a processor loses or gains a recycling outlet, the instructions should change promptly and residents should hear about it.
Show us where the material goes
A collection total measures what was picked up. It does not tell us how much became a usable recycled material. We want a public accounting of both.
- Which materials are accepted in each collection stream?
- Where does each material go after sorting?
- How much glass is recovered through the separate drop-off program?
- How much glass from curbside collection goes to landfill?
- What does the program cost, and who is responsible for telling residents when the rules change?
Publish the destinations and tonnages, with the dates they cover. If contamination or a lack of processing capacity prevents recovery, say so. If a separate collection program improves the result, show that too.
Make recycling a service residents can understand
Evansville should revisit its recycling program with an honest account of its limits, its costs, and its effects on landfill capacity. Residents are being asked to do their part. The organizations handling the material should be just as clear about theirs.
Give people accurate instructions, a practical place to take glass, and evidence that the material reaches a recycling outlet. That is a better answer than letting the word “recycling” do all the work.
Have a question, processor record, or correction? Send it in.