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Fairfax County residents have a new place to recycle glass following the opening of the county’s 26th purple collection container at Chantilly Regional Library.

The county marked the addition on Thursday, February 27, with a ribbon-cutting and ceremonial bottle recycling. The container is the second purple can in the Sully District.

Most curbside recycling programs across the region do not accept glass bottles and jars. Residents can instead take empty, clean and dry glass containers to the county’s purple recycling cans at any time.

Glass collected through the program is used to produce new food and beverage containers, fiberglass insulation and reflective materials.

Fairfax County Public Library Director Eric Carzon said libraries already contribute to waste reduction by allowing people to share and reuse materials. Recycling items at the end of their useful lives, he said, fits naturally with that mission.

Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith welcomed the expanded service, saying it would help make the community better for future generations.

Since the purple-can program began in 2019, Fairfax County has collected more than 50 million pounds of glass. That equals approximately 42 pounds for each of the county’s 1.2 million residents.

Eric Forbes, deputy director of the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, also explained markings found on glass containers. An “N” indicates North America, while the numbers 13 or 30 mean the container was processed and manufactured in Virginia.

Glass recycling is now available at five Fairfax County Public Library locations: Chantilly Regional Library, Dolley Madison Library, Great Falls Library, Kingstowne Regional Library and Lorton Library.