Ripple Glass

The Kansas City region needed a better glass recycling solution. Ripple Glass is the answer. More locations make it convenient for you. Our processing facility and partner companies keep it local. It all adds up to less waste, more energy-efficient solutions, and greener communities.In 2009, Kansas Citians threw away 150 million pounds of perfectly good glass. To the dismay of the people at Boulevard Brewing Company, this included some 10 million empty Boulevard bottles – lost forever, buried in local landfills.Area businesses use nearly 200 million pounds of recycled glass every year, so why was it so hard to recycle glass? Because there was no nearby facility to process the glass. And why no local processor? Because, in classic chicken-and-egg fashion, there was almost no local recycling.The folks at Boulevard finally got tired of being part of the problem. So, with the support of local companies and community organizations, they came up with a solution—Ripple Glass.

The Ripple Effect

Ripple constructed a state-of-the-art processing plant, and placed dedicated glass recycling containers throughout the metro area. We found a local customer that converts the recycled glass into fiberglass insulation, saving enormous amounts of energy and dramatically lowering emissions, and a business in Tulsa that turns amber glass back into bottles, including those used by Boulevard!

The Ripple effect has spread, with our beautiful purple recycling containers now in Kansas City, Jefferson City, Branson, Lawrence, Omaha, and Sioux City. Ripple’s facility is processing glass from all over the region, helping over 80 other communities keep glass out of their landfills while giving it the new life it deserves.It’s a great way to close the loop, protect the environment, support area businesses and even make homes more energy efficient.

Even more reasons to recycle

• Container glass is 100% recyclable, can be recycled endlessly, and is a primary ingredient in fiberglass insulation and new glass containers.

• Burying perfectly good glass in the landfill wastes all the material, energy, and labor that went into making it.

• Using recycled glass produces 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than creating new glass (or fiberglass) from raw materials.

• Every ton of glass that’s recycled results in more than one ton of raw materials saved. That’s 1,300 lbs. of sand, 410 lbs. of soda ash, 380 lbs. of limestone, and 150 lbs. of feldspar.

• Recycling just one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. (Imagine how long it would light a compact fluorescent!)

• A six-pack of recycled beer bottles produces enough fiberglass insulation to fill a standard wall cavity.

• Kansas Citians consume approximately 80,000 tons of container glass each year. In the past, because of the difficulty and inconvenience, only about 5% was recycled. Today, we recycle nearly 20% of our community’s glass. We still have a long way to go. Nationally, the average recycling rate is over 30% and climbing; in many places in the world, it’s north of 90%!

• Glass isn’t collected in most area curbside recycling programs, and for good reason. When mixed with other recyclables, broken glass degrades and contaminates those materials, causing them to be “downcycled” into lower quality products.

Stop treating your glass like garbage

The Kansas City region needed a better glass recycling solution – Ripple Glass is the answer. Over 100 drop-off locations make it easy and convenient. Our processing facility and partner companies keep it local. It all adds up to less waste, more energy-efficient solutions, a better environment, and a stronger economy.

Businesses that Recycle

Over 200 Kansas City area businesses recycle their glass. From bars and restaurants to thrift stores to manufacturers, Ripple can help. Contact us to learn how.Find out which businesses near you recycle their glass! Please patronize these establishments and be sure to let them know how much you appreciate your commitment to environmental responsibility. 

Why Recycle?

• Recycling one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours.
• A 6-pack of recycled bottles produces enough fiberglass insulation to fill a standard wall cavity
• You have helped Ripple Glass save nearly 200,000 tons of glass from the landfill since 2009.