Glass Recycling Foundation opens grant application round

The Glass Recycling Foundation (GRF) is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based organization that provides grants for glass recycling efforts, such as upgrading cleaning equipment, providing drop-off collection containers, supporting pilot projects and developing education. 

The GRF opened the application period for the next round of grants May 17. Nonprofit entities, municipal governments, public waste management districts, glass collectors, material recovery facilities (MRFs), glass beneficiation organizations and manufacturers are eligible grantees. Applications must be submitted by July 7.

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"Over 9 million tons of glass go to landfills each year in the U.S.," Scott DeFife, president of GRF and of the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI), says. "This valuable material is being lost. We need to invest in our collection and sorting infrastructure to close the gap and get more recycled material into containers and fiberglass."

The GRF has released its "2022 Impact Report," highlighting nearly $200,000 in grants toward projects that divert almost 600 tons of glass from landfills. The grants were made possible by donations from Anheuser-Busch Foundation, Corona, the GPI and Diageo.

Recent projects supported by GRF grants include:

Fairfax, Virginia – GRF grant funding of $5,000, matched by the city of Fairfax, will cover costs to design and procure 3,000 reusable tote bags. The totes will be distributed to residents to use to safely transport glass containers to drop-off locations.

Justice Industries – This nonprofit organization based in Brentwood, Tennessee, creates social enterprise businesses to provide jobs for people with barriers to employment received a $5,000 GRF grant to purchase 35 green 96-gallon carts to expand commercial glass collection in the Nashville, Tennessee, area.

"Many communities and recyclers recognize the benefits of recycling glass but struggle to do so because of a lack of funding," Laura Hennemann, secretary of GRF and senior vice president of sustainability and corporate affairs at Strategic Materials Inc., says. "Donations from stakeholders in the glass recycling value chain make it possible for the GRF to support efforts that create long-term sustainable programs for glass recycling."