Southwest Missouri News--Branson

by Carol Harris, Branson area, and Mary Engler-Guccione, Joplin area

According to the city of Branson, local residents are driving on their own recycled glass.

The city's public works department has started using "glassphalt" to pave its streets. Crushed glass, instead of sand, makes up 10 percent of the asphalt mixture.

Glass from the Branson Recycle Center goes to American Disposal where it is crushed into fine round granules and sold back to the city. Public Works Director Larry VanGilder said the glass costs about the same as sand that was previously used in the asphalt mixture.