Glass Bottle & Jar Recycling

Glass bottles and jars are accepted for recycling through the Loudoun County Glass Recycling Program at the following recycling drop-off locations:

• Arcola Recycling Center
• Central Western Loudoun Recycling Center
• Landfill Recycling Center
• Mickie Gordon Memorial Park Recycling Center
• Philomont Recycling Center
• Sterling Recycling Center

Recycling Guidelines

• Glass bottles and jars only, no other glass or other items.
• No bottle caps or corks, and no lids. 
• Bottles and jars must be empty and rinsed out.
• No bags.
• Use caution depositing bottles and jars into container, broken glass may be present.
• If the recycling container is full, come back another day and do not leave items on the ground.

The Status of Glass Bottle Recycling in Northern Virginia

Jurisdictions throughout northern Virginia have added numerous recycling drop-off locations for segregated glass bottles and jars to help divert the material to more sustainable end uses such as bottle to bottle recycling, production of fiberglass insulation, and use as an alternative aggregate in construction.

Glass bottles and jars that are collected commingled with other recyclables, such as through curbside recycling programs, are currently unable to be processed for recycling by material recovery facilities serving our region. When glass containers go through the sorting process with other materials collected through curbside recycling, the glass ends up as a mixed material containing residual bits of plastic, paper and metal that are not able to be recycled. In order for the glass to be recycled at this point, additional processing capability which is currently unavailable to this region would be required. This means that the glass and other mixed residuals are disposed as waste, or are transferred to landfills to be used as “alternative cover,” such as material to cover the daily trash received at landfills.