Tri State Resource Recovery has agreed to host a community glass drop‑off at its Evansville site, Councilwoman Mary Allen told the Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Management District Board. The weekday program, operated in partnership with Recycle Services, accepts glass Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tri State Resource Recovery facility near Bosse Field.

The program is intended to keep glass out of single‑stream recycling, where, Allen said, it currently increases processing costs and is often sent to landfill. "Tri State Resource Recovery gets paid about $10 a ton," Allen said. "It costs our recycle facility about $125 to $150 a ton to process and haul off our glass to the landfill." She urged residents who cannot use the drop‑off to place glass in the trash rather than placing it in single‑stream bins because of that extra processing and transport.

Board members and presenters said Recycle Services will transport glass to buyers such as Knauf Insulation, which will use shredded glass for insulation products in Indiana; Allen said some material may be processed out of state and return for reuse. Recycle Services provided an initial outdoor concrete or metal glass "bunker" at the Tri State parking lot; Allen said the initial infrastructure represented about an $8,900 investment by the buyer and partner. Local businesses, including J.R. Trockman & Son and some bars downtown, have been mentioned as potential contributors of large volumes, and organizers are discussing whether nonprofit groups could offer pickup services for a fee.

The Tri State drop‑off location is at 1511 Harriet Street (access via Reed Street), adjacent to Bosse Field; organizers have placed labeled metal bins for glass, paper, cardboard and some plastics. Allen said Recycle Services hauls material on a regular route to Nashville, Tenn., and that Evansville is conveniently on that route, reducing empty‑truck travel.

Speakers noted limitations: accepting glass into single‑stream recycling without additional sorting infrastructure yields little revenue and high cost to the material recovery facility, and installing glass‑sorting equipment on a single‑stream line would require significant capital. Allen said that while bottle manufacturers can be buyers if glass is sorted by color, the current program is an "easy inroad" aimed primarily at diverting glass from single‑stream to a buyer that accepts mixed glass for insulation.

Board members encouraged public education so residents know the drop‑off hours and location and to avoid leaving materials at the facility outside staffed hours. No formal board action was required to establish the drop‑off; Allen presented the partnership and answered operational questions from board members.

Community partners named in the discussion included Recycle Services and J.R. Trockman & Son; Mr. Kelson, director of Water and Sewer, was reported to be coordinating website updates to reflect the new option. Board members said contract renegotiation with curbside contractors such as Republic Services could in the future change whether glass is included in single‑stream pickup, but implementing a local glass‑sorting line would be costly and is not expected in the near term.

The board did not adopt new ordinances or funding at the meeting; members said they will continue to support education and outreach and discussed possible future studies on providing dedicated collection containers for bars and businesses.

The program organizers asked residents to follow posted instructions and to bring glass during staffed hours so materials are handled properly and stored safely until transport.