RecyclingCommercial GlassWhy we aren’t. Why we can.

Why we should.

What is it?

Commercial Glass ; [\kə-ˈmər-shəl\ gläs\] The general definition extends to most glass that serves a commercial purpose; such as windows, mirrors, skylights and table-ware.

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Unlike bottle glass which has fairly consistent properties, commercial glass is currently very difficult to recycle because of the wide range of treatments and specialized end products involved in glass manufacturing

Therefore, 10% of the waste going into BC landfills is glass.

In 2010 alone, that translates to 411,600 TONNES

Benefits of recycling

More landfill space is made available Recycling consumes considerably less

energy than it takes to melt down raw materials

New employment opportunities would arise

Recycled glass cullet can be made into a wide array of functional and artistic products

If Vancouver glass companies could recycle just 1% of their waste glass, it would keep over 2,500lbs out of the landfill and conserve more than 50,000lbs of raw materials every year.

Over a longer span, it would conserve even more because glass can be recycled infinitely.

IDS Goal

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My goal for this directed study is to create this magnet; i.e. to design a large scale system that would divert the glass away from landfills and reduce the waste glass into a form that can be reused sustainably.

Starting Questions

‘How does commercial glass differ from bottle glass?’

‘Considering that it takes up such large quantity of landfill, are those differences big enough to justify not having a recycling program?’

‘If so, can I find a way to change that?’ ‘If not, how can I make a viable design

and market it to appropriate people?’

The Plan

1. Do some background research to find out why commercial glass isn't currently recycled

2. Find out if there are currently any recycling efforts being made

3. Reach out to people in the industry who may be interested in participating or helping design

4. Design fully-functional recycling system

5. Partner with someone capable of making this design a reality

Anticipated problems

Expected roadblock to arise due to my lack of applicable knowledge of the industry

Inability to sort out contaminants from the glass

Difficulty determining end uses for the glass and creating a veritable, appealing market for the processed glass cullet

Plan in Action: Research

Focused on understanding the qualities and types of commercial glass

Discovered that an Ontario recycling company, Nexcycle, accepted tempered glass for a time, but discontinued the program

Uncovered benefits of recycling and end uses/products the recycled glass could be turned into…

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29 uses for recycled glass

(See full list here)

Plan in Action: Reaching out

Compiled a list of major glass companies in the Lower Mainland

Created a 6 question survey to guide their feedback and generate an understanding as to what they would want to see in the design

Asked 8 major local glass companies to participate

I expected more to respond, but the few who did had lots of feedback, concerns and advice

Feedback result

2 companies said that minimal commercial storage space would be an especially attractive design feature, but were divided on what that would look like

I’ve settled on a compromise of temporary on-site bins which companies can drop-off at the recycling facility

One concern raised was whether there is any dangers presented by the chemical composition of the glass

After some more research, I built chemical profiles for the various compounds within glass and glass coatings

Going a step further, I also used the profiles to find out the required safety features for the system

Where I’m at

A B Initial Research

Recycle my broken

window

Partner with someone capable of

making this system

a reality

Draft designs

Build chemical profiles

Contact glass companies

What’s next:

Summer 2017 (I have to wait until I’m 19 to participate.)

My goal for this project is currently to connect with someone who can help me turn this glass recycling system into a real place that boosts the economy and saves the earth.

SLLP is a 25-day journey over 1,400km of the Fraser river, during which we’ll learn about managing resources sustainably with an emphasis on those connected to the river. I hope to meet my goal here, and until then I will continue working towards a final design for this recycling system.

Reflection

This project has given me a lot of insight and awareness into just how much waste we are producing on a regular basis, and how much work still needs to be done on the road to reducing our damaging footprint.

It's also built into my research skills and created plenty of opportunities to practice formally communicating with people I would not have otherwise.