The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on glass recycling in Fairfax County, including the Town of Herndon.

Now, officials are resuming the glass recycling service, also known as the Purple Can Club, according to the county’s website.

The collection of glass dropped off at purple, glass-only containers resumes on Monday, May 11.  

Containers are currently being reset at locations throughout the county. The Reston bin is located at the Reston South Park and Ride (2431 Reston Parkway). Another bin is located at Great Falls Library.

Residents can also bring glass containers at the I-66 transfer station and the I-95 landfill complex. Free mulch service also resumed on Saturday, May 2.

The county suspended glass recycling at the purple bins in mid-March. 

Photo via Fairfax County Government

A new glass recycling program that went into effect in Fairfax County last year has shattered expectations, officials say.

The policy shift resulted in the placement of several purple bins across Northern Virginia for glass recycling. The county no longer accepts glass containers in its curbside recycling program.

More than four million pounds of recyclable glass has been collected since the program began.

The continent’s largest glass recycler, Strategic Materials, is now moving the county’s glass to a processing plant in Lorton. Glass will be sold to manufacturers of different glass products.

A spokesperson for Strategic Materials said that Fairfax County produced particularly clean, usable glass.

“Fairfax County probable has the highest quality of material we’ve seen in a drop-off program,” said Laura Henneman, Vice President of marketing and communications for the company.” The trial glass load was about 98 to 99 percent usable glass, which is incredible.”

Drop-off locations are throughout Northern Virginia are available below:

Photo via Fairfax County Government

The Town of Herndon will no longer collect glass during curbside pickup, joining the county in an effort to shift glass recycling to purple dumpsters throughout the county.

While Restonians can drop off glass recyclables at the Reston South Park and Ride lot, Town of Herndon residents can head over to a purple dumpster at town’s public works complex (1479 Sterling Road).

Fairfax County officials shifted to the purple bins as part of a regional glass recycling program called the “Purple Can Club.”

Officials note that recycled glass often ends up in landfills because it breaks doing the transportation process and mixes with other recyclable materials.

Residents can drop off all types of emptied glass containers — including bottles and jars. Residue should be removed from the materials before recycling.

Photo via Town of Herndon