Glass Recycling
Challenge – Cover untreated glass containers
Solution – Hercules Truss Arch Building
Size – 83′ wide x 40′ long
Without a curbside glass recycling program, the residents of Kansas City, MO were throwing away 150 million pounds of glass a year. Only 5% of its glass was being recycled (well under the US average of 30%) because Kansas City lacked a local glass processor. The owner and founder of a Kansas City-based brewery knew that this yearly waste included an estimated 10 million empty bottles from his brewery. With the support of local companies and organizations, he started up a recycling center that processes glass to sell as furnace-ready cullet to a local customer to be turned into fiberglass.
To stay true to the environmentally friendly nature of this new business, he recognized the need to cover the containers of untreated glass to prevent ground seepage and effluent from getting into the Missouri River. After researching the best options for covering these containers, he chose an 83′ wide by 40′ long ClearSpan Hercules Truss Arch Building. The ClearSpan structure was installed directly over the existing glass containers. One end was left open to allow easy access for trucks and forklifts. Since its start in 2009, the glass recycling company has grown exponentially; you can spot their recognizable purple containers throughout the city, and Kansas Citians are actively participating in the new recycling program.
