Glass recycling drop-off bins have been added to three area locations, for a total of six glass drop-off locations in Coralville and Iowa City
Coralville residents can now recycle glass at the Drive-In Recycling Center at 212 1st Street. Coralville's Recycling Center offers a place for Coralville residents to recycle glass, flattened corrugated cardboard, paper, metal, and plastics #1, 2, and 5. Follow the signs to place recyclables in the correct bins.
Glass is not accepted in the curbside recycling program. While free drop-off glass recycling options have been available to Coralville residents, the addition of glass recycling at Coralville's Drop-Off Recycling Center offers residents another convenient place to recycle glass.
Where to recycle glass
This glass drop-off recycling location is one of three new area glass recycling locations at no cost:
- Coralville Drop-off Recycling Center (212 1st St., Coralville)
- Upper City Park* (200 Park Rd, Iowa City)
- Robert A. Lee Recreation Center parking lot* (220 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City)
- *The locations at Upper City Park and Robert A. Lee Recreation Center are for glass only; there are not recycling options at these two locations for plastic, metal, paper, or cardboard.
These area drop-off recycling locations continue to offer glass recycling at no cost:
- East Side Recycling Center (2401 Scott Blvd. SE, Iowa City)
- South Riverside Recycling Center (1200 South Riverside Dr., Iowa City)
- Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center (3900 Hebl Ave. SW, Iowa City)
Look for the purple bins
All glass recycling drop-off bins in the area are now painted purple to easily identify that these bins are for glass only. This program requires maintenance; if you arrive at one of the locations listed above and you don’t see the purple bin, it may be en route to be emptied, but it will be right back.
At the Coralville Drop-Off Recycling Center, follow the signs to put recyclables in the correct bin. Glass must be separated from other recyclables and only goes in the purple bin. Cardboard must also be separated from other recyclables only goes in the bin(s) marked "Cardboard." Metal, plastic, and paper can be co-mingled go in another labeled container.
What glass can be recycled?
All colors of glass bottles and jars (such as clear, blue, green, and brown) can be recycled mixed together. Glass recycling tips:
- Rinse food/beverage glass before recycling
- Labels can stay on bottles and jar
- Lids can stay on bottles and jars. If you prefer to remove them, here’s what to do with those caps/lids: Plastic ones are trash. Metal ones can be recycled. Natural corks can be recycled via the wine cork container at East Side Recycling Center (located in the Oil Shed). Plastic/foam corks are trash.
These items are not allowed in glass recycling:
- Cardboard/paper drink carriers
- Plastic bags
- Window/pane glass
- Laminated glass/windshields
- Porcelain, ceramic, China/leaded glass, milk glass
- Pyrex, Corningware, dishware
- Mirrors
- Light bulbs
About the program
The Coralville glass recycling location is made possible by a partnership with the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center. The landfill serves the residents of Johnson County (which includes Coralville) and the cities of Kalona and Riverside.
The area glass recycling program expansion is in response to the community identifying a need for easier, more accessible glass recycling options. Glass is not allowed in curbside recycling, as it lessens the quality of glass when added to a single stream recycling mix, making the glass difficult to recycle. By keeping glass separate, we ensure that we have a clean, high-quality product that is easy to recycle. Glass is 100% recyclable forever, which is why we don’t want this valuable material ending up in a landfill.
For information about Coralville's recycling program, contact Aaron TeBockhorst, Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator, at 319.248.1740 or solidwaste@coralville.org, or visit www.coralville.org/recycling. For more information about the glass recycling program, contact Jane Wilch, Recycling Coordinator, at 319.887.6110 or jane-wilch@iowa-city.org, or visit www.icgov.org/recycle.