TUCSON, Ariz. -- The City of Tucson has a new project to save taxpayer dollars.
They're doing this by recycling glass using a glass crushing machine.
As it stands, the city loses $2,000,000 on a recycling program -- $500,000 of which is lost, each year, by recycling glass.
However, this new glass crusher that came in to Ward 6, about a week ago, could start benefiting the community.
It was bought in New Zealand for $6,000.
Councilman Steve Kozachik says, this was a worthwhile investment.
“We can crush glass, create the silica which is used for creating concrete, and doing roadbeds, sidewalks...and instead of going into the open market and getting it, we'll create a secondary market here and help save money,” added Kozachik
He also adds this process will also help the environment--keeping glass out of the landfill.
Now you might be wondering how the machine works.
Once it’s on, all you have to do is put glass bottle down the chute and the machine crushed the glass for you.
The outcome: sand.
Kozachik says the more glass the community brings in, the more the City of Tucson benefits. It's a project he says has the potential to change the way glass is recycled on a national scale.
“Tucson can lead by example by showing that we can take this little glass crusher, get it out of the garage, go to a commercial scale, and let Tucson instead of losing a half a million bucks, let's take all your glass, and put it to good use within our own community,” Kozachik told KGUN9.
The project is still in its initial phase, so there are not specific glass drop-off times and locations. However you can call Ward 6 to coordinate a drop-off time.
