The City of Wayne and the Wayne Green Team had their first load of recycled glass picked up last Wednesday at 8 a.m. They recycled almost 17 tons of glass.

The glass was hauled to Ripple Glass in Kansas City. There, it will be recycled into fiberglass insulation and bottles. Recycling one glass bottle can save enough energy to power a television set for 90 minutes.

“We set up the collection in June of 2016,” chair Sandy Brown said. “We plan to continue to work with Ripple Glass. It’s been a great experience so far.”

Ripple Glass rewards communities with funds for reaching goals for recycling glass. After a community shows growth in your recycling, the company donates a certain amount of money per pound. It can really help support a community and their recycling center, especially if it’s run by volunteers, Brown said.

“Whenever we are lucky enough to get any funds, we will put it back into the Green Team to increase access to positive waste production,” Brown said. “They look at your yearly records and you have to show that you have increased your amount of recycling.”

The Wayne Green Team was created in 2009 by Mayor Lois Shelton. She appointed 15 individuals from the community to identify ways to increase awareness of environmental issues in Wayne.

“I joined in 2011 and became the chair in 2013,” Brown said. “I’ve loved it ever since.”

The Green Team currently has more than 20 community members and four who are part of the City of Wayne staff. They promote awareness of the environment and encourage ecologically friendly use of water, energy and consumable products.

In 2013, Wayne was selected as one of five rural communities to participate in the Zero Waste Planning Project. Through that, the Wayne Green Team is learning to bring leaders together to develop community-based strategies for reducing waste through policy, infrastructure and education.

“Right now, we are working on our events for Earth Day,” Brown said.

The WSC Green Team, the City of Wayne Green Team and the A. Jewell Schock Museum of Natural History will host a free screening of the documentary “Just Eat It.” This event will be held at the Majestic Theatre in Wayne on Sunday, April 23, at 7 p.m.

If anyone is interested in joining the Wayne Green Team, meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Wayne Public Library.