Due to glass’ valuable role in advancing civilization and global sustainability, the United Nations deemed 2022 the “International Year of Glass.” Glass is used intensively. In fact, approximately 12 million tons of waste glass are generated in the United States annually, representing more than 4% of municipal solid waste. Unfortunately, on average, just 33% of waste glass is recycled for new glass production in the U.S. One key challenge to glass recycling is its low monetary value, currently averaging around $11/ton.

Read more in our research brief.