Dive Brief:

• Target is terminating its glass bottle recycling program throughout its Montana stores, effective on Feb. 29, due to high costs to move the large volume it was receiving. 
• The retail chain was spending $54 a ton to have the material crushed and shipped to Utah. This translated to thousands of dollars for each shipment, the company said as reported in NBC Montana.
• Target — which in 2010 became the only retailer in the state to offer glass recycling — began providing bins, but switched to roll-off boxes to handle the large quantity; they were receiving enough to fill six to eight 20-yard roll-off boxes each week. 

Dive Insight:

Glass has recently been the "scourge" of recycling; as exemplified in Montana, the commodity is very expensive to transport and process. The endeavor to recycle is challenging even to companies that are in business to recycle. 

Some plants are finding a way to do it. In Montana, J&K Recyclers and Gone Green Curbside Recycling will still collect glass in Bozeman for about $15 a month. Outside of Montana, Clear Intentions offers a Denver-based program for businesses, bringing the glass recycling receptacles directly to companies’ sites. One Ohio trash collection company even built its own glass recycling plant. 

But a broad-sweeping infrastructure for glass recycling is still lacking despite the demand. Some Montana residents were saving their glass and making trips to Target to dispose of it in the fast-filling receptacles.

A Target spokesperson said in a statement to NBC Montana, "Since opening our first store in 1962, Target has invested in the health and sustainability of our communities … However, due to the use of our facilities beyond their original intent and the lack of infrastructure in place at a state level, we regret that we are unable to continue the program."