Environmental groups say Ardagh Group was a persistent polluter
The Ardagh Group operated between East Marginal Way and the Duwamish River. (Courtesy Puget Soundkeeper)
In case you missed it, glass packaging company Ardagh Group closed its Georgetown operation last month.
Blaming international competition, the company halted production and laid off about 245 workers over the summer at the Seattle plant and also closed a Houston facility. The layoffs were described then as temporary but are now permanent.
Ardagh was the largest processor of glass bottles recycled in Seattle. The plant closure has created challenges for Seattle Public Utilities, which is looking for another operation to accept all the glass recycled by residents and businesses. For now, continue to recycle your bottles in the blue bins, but don't be surprised if guidance changes.
The operation was a problematic polluter for years, violating environmental laws intended to protect air and water. A 2019 Puget Soundkeeper press release described Ardagh as the leading industrial soot producer in the region and one of three air polluters responsible for 90 percent of Seattle's toxic air emissions.
The air in the Duwamish Valley will improve with less heavy metals discharged, Duwamish River Community Coalition Executive Director Paulina Lopez told KUOW. Childhood asthma rates in 98108 are higher than other parts of Seattle and King County.
In 2022, Lopez and the DRCC along with many co-signers from the Duwamish Valley signed a letter urging King County Executive Dow Constantine to not renew Ardagh's land lease without holding it accountable for pollution. Constantine and the King County Council approved the lease renewal.
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