Two New Purple Bins for Glass Recycling Now Available

Glass recycling continues to exceed all expectations (and remember, it’s optional to bring your glass!) – even when there was a break at the beginning of the pandemic. All the original recycling locations are back in business, and our public works team recently added two more sites – Wakefield Park in Annandale and Baron Cameron Park in Reston .

Across the region, there are now 35 locations , including new purple bins in Loudoun and Stafford counties (the glass collected there comes back to Fairfax County).
 

Explaining Some Commonly Asked Questions

As this optional program continues to be a smashing success, some residents have asked why the purple bins can be a bit tricky to operate. It’s basically for two reasons:

1. The flaps that cover the holes protect you from flying glass shards as you toss that glass bottle into the dumpster and it shatters on impact.
2. Smaller holes prevent contamination. We only want container glass – bottles and jars. The purple recycling bins are not for windowpanes, Pyrex baking dishes or cardboard boxes.

We need clean container glass to make this project work. In fact, the quality of our glass is so high that it is now being recycled into new glass bottles.