Summary

Glass Half Full aims to solve two problems with one solution: finely crushed glass that essentially mimics the properties of sand. The two problems include glass bottles ending up in landfill where the resource is not properly utilized and the problem of sand shortage. Sand is used for many construction applications and also to make glass for construction and electronics and is the world most used natural resource after air and water. (Source) The problem is that most naturally created sand isn’t quite the created at the pace of need and doesn’t always meet the specifications for the applications mentioned above. This leads companies to mine sand from riverbeds which is expensive to do and has some harmful environmental implications. Glass Half Full attempts to use crushed glass containers, that are not recycled efficiently, to mimic sand so that it can be used for restoration efforts at the state’s coastline. The non-profit has developed a process in which the glass is crushed into the sand which it came from, and is then used for coastal restoration efforts. The sand that is too big to be used in the sand bags is then used in flooring and gravel. Glass Half Full collaborates with many local partners to help in this effort. Bags to hold the sand are donated by local coffee shops; cardboard that delivers the bottles are brought to local pig farms to be used as compost. The initiative relies on the community to drop off or donate glass bottles that are to be used in this effort.

Story

When co-founders Franziska Trautmann and Max Steitz were students and Tulane, they both pondered the question of where the wine bottle they were consuming would end up. They realized sadly, that the glass would most likely end up in a landfill. Their interest in this topic led them to understanding the economics of glass recycling and also uncovering an issue that had never occurred to them before: sand shortage. The idea for the project spread in the New Orleans community and the co-founders raised $18,000 in startup costs. Today, the The project that began in a Tulane University dorm room soon transitioned to a backyard, where Fran and Max collected and hand-crushed glass from their friends, and soon their whole community. As word spread, community crowdfunding raised $18,000 in startup costs.

Pic Credit: Waste360 (right) and Resource Recycling (top)