PRC glass recycling program, other area efforts earn Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence

In recognition of the “From Bins to Bottles” glass recycling program — it collected more than 1,000 tons of bottles, jars and jugs in 2023 — Pennsylvania Resources Council has received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.

“At PRC we work hard every day to prevent waste and conserve the environment,” PRC Executive Director Darren Spielman said in a news release about the award. “We are proud of our glass recycling network, which keeps an endlessly reusable resource in use and out of the trash. It’s one great example of our environmental impact in Pennsylvania.” 

PRC’s “From Bins to Bottles” glass recycling program features “pop-up” and permanent glass drop-off collection sites in communities with no access to glass recycling bins. 

The award announcement explained, “This program met a critical community need when these communities were faced with the loss of glass recycling in their curbside single-stream recycling programs. Last year, the project collected over 1,000 tons of glass to be recycled.”

According to PRC Glass Program Coordinator Ethan Woodfill in the news release, “Glass is still one of the most recyclable materials we generate in our homes, and the market for glass recycling is very strong. When you take the time to use glass-only drop-off sites, nearly 100% of the glass collected is recycled into new bottles, jars and jugs.”

The state Department of Environmental Protection evaluated projects for their degree of environmental protection, innovation, partnership, economic impact, consideration of climate change, sustainability and environmental justice, as well as outcomes achieved, PRC officials explained. DEP selected 22 to honor; the submissions came from schools, businesses and community organizations around the state.   

“This year’s Environmental Excellence honorees showcase the innovative ways we can protect our environment and shape a more sustainable future here in Pennsylvania,” DEP interim acting Secretary Jessica Shirley said in the PRC news release. “Together we will spur the next generation of environmental stewards, and these projects represent our ability to work together and preserve Pennsylvania’s natural resources.”

PRC launched its glass recycling campaign in 2019 with a series of pop-up events in response to the elimination of glass in numerous curbside programs. Last year alone, PRC’s program enabled 50,000 households to drop off more than 2 million pounds of glass bottles, jars and jugs for recycling, according to PRC officials.

In addition to PRC, a DEP news release listed other Western Pennsylvania awardees:

Fox Chapel Area School District, Audubon Society of Western PA, Allegheny County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, and Fox Chapel Borough Parks Commission and Public Works Department: The Second Graders Restoring Habitat at Salamander Park project is a joint recognition project that integrated a local school district with nonprofit environmental groups. The project empowered over 300 second grade students to enhance a local habitat by planting over 300 trees to improve the riparian habitat of Sycamore Run. This multisector partnership engaged students, teachers, nonprofit organizations and community volunteers to plant over 1,500 native trees.

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy: The 2023 Young Naturalists Program provided paid student internships to engage in education, professional development and service learning through environmental stewardship. The students planned and executed stewardship projects aimed at making lasting changes in our parks along with weekly final projects, including installing water bars, bluebird nest boxes, erosion control measures and more.

UpstreamPgh: The Wilkinsburg Stormwater Resiliency Project Phase I, with funding from the Growing Greener Program and other local funding sources, enhanced the largest stream restoration in the country on Nine Mile Run. This project addressed stormwater management issues around Nine Mile Run to improve water quality and improve resiliency in an Environmental Justice Community.

U.S. Steel Corp. Mon Valley Works: The Zero Emissions lithium-ion battery electric switch locomotive project involved the transfer of two locomotives at a steel facility to battery power. Battery-powered locomotives will reduce the amount of diesel fuel consumed at the Clairton and Edgar Thomson facilities, reduce airborne particulate matter, and demonstrate U.S. Steel’s use of emerging technology to reach its climate goals. This project has reduced the amount of diesel fuel consumed at the facility by 40,000 gallons annually and reduced airborne particulate matter equivalent to 7,000 passenger vehicles or 51 transit buses.