This week I delved into the plethora of products made of recycled glass, and I was seriously impressed by what I found. Glass is a material that can be recycled infinitely. It is comprised of silica, the main component of sand, and I have learned that one application for recycled glass material is that it is being tested as a material to “replenish” beaches that have been worn down by erosion.  I guess that is the ultimate back to nature approach. Glass is a stable, non-toxic material that can be used in a multitude of forms. It has great insulating properties and can be used to create amazing art forms. There are a lot of uses for recycled glass throughout the home and garden, I have selected a few to discuss below.

Recycled glass first becomes “cullet,” or crushed glass. When making new products from cullet, 40 percent less energy is consumed in place of making glass from new products, because it melts at a lower temperature than virgin ingredients. ~ Earth 911

In some cases, the glass doesn’t need be melted to find another use. These cool countertops (and floors!) were made by mixing crushed glass into an eco-friendly resin. So instead of trucking in rare marble from across the globe, there is a funky use for all of those broken mirrors. A few companies that manufacture these countertops, wall panels and floors are EnviroGLAS, Vetrazzo and Curava. I love the variety of colors and the ability to mix and match between the aggregate composition and the resin (or concrete) color, it definitely lends itself to some creative home decorating solutions!

If you are looking for a departure from the ordinary in your landscaping pursuits, there are several companies that offer tumbled glass as a weed-prevention (mulch alternative) material. It is available in a large variety of colors and can also be used in other applications such as Koi ponds.  There is even a product, GrowStone, that will improve the performance of your potted plants. GrowStone is a eco-friendly alternative to perlite and pumice (both strip-mined materials) that is made from 99% recycled bottles.

For every six tons of recycled container glass used, a ton of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is reduced. A relative 10% increase in cullet reduces particulates by 8%, nitrogen oxide by 4%, and sulfur oxides by 10%. ~ Glass Packaging Institute

Glass is widely used for its insulation properties, and there are a number of companies and associations that are trying to utilize as much recycled  glass as possible. Insulation takes many forms, from the traditional batting we are familiar with to tiny glass beads that can be added to construction materials to increase their powers of insulation.  Most standard home insulation has about 30%  of recycled fiberglass content, and manufacturers are looking to increase that percentage.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on the possible applications of post-consumer glass. As there are so many recycled glass products available, be sure to ask retailers and manufacturers about the recycled content in glass goods. As consumers we have a powerful voice in advocating for sustainability through our buying practices. I’m sure I’ll be blogging on this topic  again as there are so many cool products made from recycled glass!