Tucson No Longer Recycling Glass: What To Know

TUCSON, AZ — Tucson won't be accepting glass in the city's blue barrel program starting Monday.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and the Tucson City Council voted to approve the new rule in November as part of the city's commitment to sustainability.

"By removing glass from curbside collection, the Environmental and General Services Department will reduce processing costs at the Materials Recovery Facility, while implementing a community-wide glass collection program that keeps glass for reuse locally, and reducing our environmental footprint," the city said in a news release at the time.

The change will not affect anyone living outside of Tucson city limits.

The city will still be collecting glass after Monday, just not curbside. Residents will instead need to take glass bottles and jars to drop-off sites scattered across Tucson. All glass collected will be crushed and reused locally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the Tucson's Climate Action Plan, the city said.

Find a drop-off site closest to you:

• Ward 6 Council Office - 3202 E. 1st Street
• Ward 4 Council Office - 8123 E. Poinciana Drive
• Quincie Douglas Center - 1575 E. 36th Street
• Mission Manor Park - 5900 S. 12th Avenue
• Todd Harris Sports Complex - 2400 S. Craycroft Road
• Ft. Lowell Park - 2998 N. Craycroft Road
• Armory Senior Center - 220 S. 5th Avenue
• Westside Police Substation - 1310 W. Miracle Mile
• Santa Rosa Center - 1080 S. 10th Avenue
• El Rio Center - 1390 W. Speedway Blvd.
• Eastside Police Substation - 9670 E. Golf Links Road
• Archer Center - 1665 S. La Cholla Blvd.
• El Pueblo Center - 101 W. Irvington Road
• Purple Heart Park - 9800 E. Rita Road
• Udall Center - 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road
• Mansfield Park - 2000 N. 4th Avenue
• Ward 5 Council Office - 4300 S. Park Avenue
• Patrick K. Hardesty Center - 1100 S. Alvernon Way
• Los Reales Landfill - 5300 E. Los Reales Road
• Tucson Fire Department, Station 15 - 1925 S. San Antonio Drive
• Eastside City Hall - 7575 E. Speedway Blvd.

Bottles and jars will be the only glass accepted at sites, and all lids and caps will need to be removed before residents drop them off. Glass must also be rinsed, but residents don't need to worry about removing labels.

Anyone unable to make it to a drop-off location will now need to dispose of glass in their trash bins. Moving forward, the city's recycling program will only accept plastic bottles, jugs and containers, paper, cardboard and aluminum or steel cans.