by Kenna S. Eaton, General Manager  

This past week Jefferson County broke the unwelcome news that beginning December 1st, 2024, they will no longer accept glass for recycling. And all I can say is “Blast!”

This was extremely frustrating news to me as glass is one of those things that is eminently recyclable. But if there is no market for used glass, it doesn’t make economic sense for the county to collect it, so it’s understandable that we householders and business owners have been told to dispose of it as trash, at least until a new market opens.

Of course, this gets us all thinking—what the heck do we do with all the glass we generate, both as a household and as a business? We do have one solution, at least for your clean-wide mouth jars with lids. You can bring those into the Co-op, and we will wash, sterilize, and put them out for reuse in the store. There are limits to what we can take for sure, and as you can imagine, it takes a lot of work and space to process the jars, but we do this as a gift for our community. All we ask in return is that you do your part.

The program is called “Jar Savers” (it originated as a way to use less plastic). Jars MUST match the following criteria to be acceptable for reuse according to the health department rules. To that end, jars must fulfill all the following:

• Be wide mouth (i.e. no bottles)

• Be free of labels*

• Have properly fitting lids

That’s it. We collect those jars near the front of the store in the Community Hallway. After processing them, we place them in the bulk department for anyone to use for free. To find out more about the program, check out this page on our website: Sustainable Practices.

I’d like to also note here that if you needed another reason to support Finnriver Farm & Cidery, did you know that they take back their cider bottles, then wash and re-use as well? The Co-op, on the other hand, cannot do that with bottles. Nor do we want your household trash, with or without your glass bottles, so please don’t put it into our trash bins. We are doing our part for sustainability, and we hope you will do yours as well.

*Pro-Tip:

Struggling with those extra sticky labels? Try wrapping them in a wet cloth, soaking them off, then using vegetable oil or “Contractors Solvent” (available at Henery’s and elsewhere) to get rid of the residue.