Need Information on Glass Recycling Project as a Social Enterprise for a Nonprofit

Melissa,

Sounds like the opportunity for a mobile glass crusher or processor. I have seen them for bars and restaurants, from about half a cubic metre in size. They greatly reduce the space required for transport as well as involving staff on site rather than externalizing the entire process. The machine sits under or on the bar, for example, with even the clientele processing their own glass bottles as a novelty and an awareness raising exercise. Not sure how it would work for wineries though I understood that larger machines were available. Try http://www.yampavalley.info/commorgs1860442.asp or http://www.spartel.com.au/Glass%20Crusher%20Brochure.pdf#search=%22mobile%20 glass%20crusher%22

Are there products that can be made in the vicinity from the crushed glass I wonder, retaining it as a resource.

Good luck.

Kind regards,
Paul Payten
EcoSTEPS - Sustainability Partner

We (a non-profit) are trying to identify a glass solution in Alabama, also. We have one solution, and are trying to find a better one. The low resale value and high transportation cost of waste glass are killing us. Currently: We have found a market for some glass, but there is no revenue stream. We collect consumer-recycled glass at a central collection facility, and it is hauled to a local cement kiln where it is used as a direct substitute for sand in the manufacture of cement. Because of its destination, we can collect ALL kinds of glass (bottles, drinking glasses, windows) except tempered or safety glass. The cement company pays to have the glass transported to their facility (in 30-yard containers), so they do not benefit economically. In fact, I believe it costs them more to haul and use glass than to use sand (mined on-site), but they've made a community choice. We offset but a fraction of the sand they use, but they will substitute as much glass as we can send their way. We would like to see it used in road beds, but glass is not an approved material by Alabama's DOT (shocking, I know). So we have to get it approved at the state level before we can even consider expanding the program in that direction. Proposed Model: We are working with local restaurants and other glass producers to determine if there is a fee they would be willing to pay to have their glass hauled separately from other waste. Similarly, we are researching what kind of payment might be possible from industrial end-users, even DOT.. If we can put this together, we are hoping to cobble together a program that makes (a little) money. I doubt it will do much more than pay the people it takes to organize and operate, however. It's just so cheap to landfill things here that it is hard to compete with traditional waste disposal. I am very keen to hear what other solutions you find.

Best Regards,
- Keith

We use a Aurora Glass in Salem, Oregon, for the trophies for the Washington Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices. The company is an off-shoot of the St. Vincent de Paul in Oregon. They take the window glass and otherwise un-recyclable glass (other than tempered) as feedstock for the various glass items they make -- sun-catchers, glass tile, desk items, vases, etc. Here is their Web site -- they do very nice work and the proceeds go back to St. Vincent de Paul for further community and social help programs. http://www.auroraglass.org/index.asp

Mariann Cook Andrews

Hazardous Waste & Toxic Reduction
Dept. of Ecology
(360) 407-6740 FAX
(360) 407-6715
[email protected]

Building Resources is a non-profit, and produces tumbled glass http://www.buildingresources.org/BRredShovel.html

Fire and Light started as a non-profit spin-off, using bottle glass http: //www.fireandlight.com/ Oceanside

Glasstile also uses bottle glass, but has no non-profit link http://www.glasstile.com/

Each is a California business, benefiting from the state's beverage container deposit program

Not to add a question to the original question but -- Has anyone done research on barriers to use of glass as a substitute for aggregate, in asphalt? "Glassphalt" is viable end market for glass. I am looking for this as part of a research project. The answers might be helpful to Melissa, who started this thread.

thanks,
Anne Peters

Gracestone, Inc.
Boulder, Colorado USA
303.494.4934 vox
303.494.4880 fax

We used a glass crusher for years to cut down volume (not weight) in our volunteer community recycling organization. Two concerns emerged: 1) noise and 2) dust. We bought industrial ear protectors, but the dust issue was harder to handle. Besides it doesn't get it recycled. No market currently in our region for green glass, which is mostly what wine comes in.

Terry Link,

Director
Office of Campus Sustainability
Michigan State University
106 Olds Hall East Lansing, MI 48824
1-517-355-1751 (Phone/fax)
[email protected]
www.ecofoot.msu.edu