Broad Ripple businesses can soon take advantage of a free recycling program that is expanding at various locations in the Village. In the fall of 2008 the Green Broad Ripple Restaurant Group won a grant from the Coca Cola Company and National Recycling Coalition to purchase recycling bins for local merchants. These bins have been distributed along "Broad Ripple Square," the block that contains Union Jack Pub, Corner Wine Bar, Ambrosia, The Usual Suspects, Brothers Bar & Grill, Boogie Burger, Monkey's Tale, The Wellington, and The Casba. Recently, a group of Broad Ripple businesses around the Carrollton corridor gathered at the Broad Ripple Tavern to learn the details of the next phase of the recycling program.

Brenda Rising-Moore, owner of Union Jack Pub, explained that Julian Fournier of Saint-Gobain Containers in Muncie heard about the glass recycling program in Broad Ripple and asked what would be needed to expand it. Brenda told him that the program had run out of recycling bins for the bars and restaurants. Julian replied that his company would donate 100 bins to the effort. Carey Hamilton of Indiana Recycling Coalition added that this is an exciting partnership and the Broad Ripple effort is a great story to be shared across the state. She said this collecting of glass helps make our local glass container companies more competitive in the world marketplace.

As part of this phase of the program, Strategic Materials offered to supply a dumpster for collecting the glass from the individual plastic bins. That dumpster will be placed in the parking lot across from the post office. And, Thomas Gray of Workforce, Inc. has agreed to place multiple bin throughout the Village to collect cardboard from the businesses for recycling. Workforce, Inc. hires workers from the disadvantaged labor pool to collect the cardboard every day. If the bins are regularly overfilled, additional bins can be added at no cost to the Village.

Broad Ripple businesses can request glass bins for their locations and get more information on the program by contacting Brenda Rising-Moore at the Union Jack Pub 257-4343 or 501-8977. Local recycling information is also available at greenbroadripple.org.