What can you do to help combat coastal erosion and rapidly filling landfills? Louisiana-based nonprofit Glassroots makes it as easy as bringing your glass recyclables to the Red Stick Farmers Market.

Last year, the Red Stick Farmers Market and Glassroots Project, a Louisiana-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming glass into sand and gravel for coastal restoration, eco-construction and community art projects, partnered to provide Baton Rouge with its first glass drop-off destination.

Thousands of wine bottles and other glass containers later, the partnership is expanding thanks to overwhelming community participation. The glass recycling drop-off is now available twice each month, on the second and last Saturdays of every month, during the Red Stick Farmers Market at Main Street Market from 8 a.m. to noon.

Since launching the program in February 2024, the collaboration has diverted 27,213 pounds of glass from landfills, transforming it into 25,852 pounds of sand used for coastal restoration, green infrastructure and flood prevention sandbags.

Just as Glassroots works to mitigate the long-term impacts of hurricanes by restoring coastal barriers, the Big River Economic and Agricultural Development
Alliance (BREADA), the nonprofit behind the Red Stick Farmers Market, works to rebuild and protect the livelihoods of those who grow the region’s food. Together, these efforts strengthen Louisiana’s resilience against future storms and challenges.

“This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to support Louisiana agriculture, foster stewardship of land and promote healthy communities,” says Darlene Adams Rowland, BREADA executive director. “We’re proud to offer the community an easy, free and impactful way to recycle, right alongside their Saturday market visit.”

The Glassroots Project requests that all lids be removed and glass containers rinsed thoroughly before donation. Learn more about Glassroots here.