or several reasons, glass recycling Fappears in trouble in many comrnuni- ties. Alterations in collection and processing systems have resulted in rising piles of unrnar- ketable glass. Some container manufactur- ing plants have tightened scrap glass purchase specifications due to an increase in contami- nation levels. And, the inherent low value of scrap glass is causing some communities to reconsider their recycling effort (see "Is Glass by JerryPowell Recycling Soon to Become PassC?'in the May 2002 issue of Resource Recycling). Resource Recycling That said, many recycling operators are working hard to develop new ways to use scrap glass, with more and more recovered material being used in nonbottle applications. A short summary of some of these develop- ments is offered here. Aggregating those tons Scrap glass can be pulverized to produce usable aggregate products, ranging in con- sistency from a gravel to coarse sand. These processed glass aggregate (PGA) products have many applications, including: + glasphalt + turf or soil amendment + filter media, such as in swimming pools + pipe bedding material + landscaping + sandblasting dust control on roads + sand substitute on icy roads + nonstructural fill + landfill cover road base construction. Some of these applications are discussed separately below. New Hampshire is one of the leaders in pursuing PGA as a viable cullet recycling market. A state-sponsored task force has strived to improve and define PGA specifi- cations and to work with the local construc- tion industry on increasing the use of PGA. A similar market development effort has been undertaken by other governmental agencies, including King County, Washington. PGA production has opened up business opportunities in many areas. For example, Aloha Glass Recycling (Maui, Hawaii) makes both screened PGA, for use in higher-end applications such as sandblast grit, and unscreened aggregate for lower-end uses such as backfill and as the base course in road paving. According to Tom Reed, AGR's own- er, "We have moved about 1,500 tons of glass into the paving market so far this year." This More than nearly any other represents about half of the firm's annual output. recyclable, scrap glass can be Numerous local governments have pur- chased processing equipment in order to make made into numerous useful glass aggregates. As an example, San Juan County, Washington makes glass products for products. use as septic sand filters, road sand for icy highways, bedding for concrete walkways and use in choke chip sealed asphalt.
Resource Recyclilzg September 2002 were recycled, bringing the state's rate to 35.7 1 6 percent. Recyding and composting patents The Kansas health department has award- ed recycling and composting grants totaling $1.55 million to 38 local cities and counties. The grants are funded through a $ I-per-ton statewide disposal fee, which generates approximately $4.9 million annually.
New group formed to push can recycling higher A new trade association has been formed to return the aluminum can to its lofty packag- ing and recycling status. According to industry members, the Alu- minum Can Council (Washington) will work to enhance the image of the aluminum can as a packaging alternative and to increase the c& recycling rate, which fell to 55.4 per- cent in 2001, the lowest level in a dozen Aluminum can recycling cent of used cans were collected. years. rate varies widely In Western Europe, the aluminum can recy- ACC was formed by the Aluminum Asso- The success of efforts to retrieve aluminum cling rate rose two percentage points in 2001, ciation (Washington), representing metal pro- cans for recycling varies widely around the to 45 percent. The top programs are in ducers, and the Can Manufacturers Institute world. Switzerland (91 percent), Norway and Ice- (Washington), consisting of can makers. Two of the top systems are Brazil, land (89 percent), and Sweden (88 percent). ACC has selected Washington-based where the 2001 recycling rate reached At the low end are Spain (20 percent), Portu- Adworks as its public relations firm. 85.0 percent, and Japan, where 82.8 per- gal (21 percent) and Ireland (26 percent).
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Reader service # 91 Resource Recycling September 2002. Problems with high- contamination rates, high After only two years, the program has produced some transportation costs and low public participation had tremendous statistics: Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania investigating alternatives Tons Collected +287 % to its 25-sit- Roll-Off Recycling System. Cost per Ton -48 % Revenue per Ton +589% Residue Rate -83% - Schuylkill County began replacing sites with a stationary, The high-profile sites are safe and well-lit, offering users Self-Dumping Container System. The system also 2417 convenience. includes a Special Events Recycling Trailer which can be used for recycling promotions, special events, and high-volume periods. Collection is provided by 2 two-stream collection vehicles for most materials, and Contact Haul-All Equipment to find out how you can get one high-compaction vehicle for plastic and OCC. the benefits of this system working for your community.
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Reader service # 233 Putting glass to bed and more communities seeing stockpiles of glass increase, interest in One PGA application showing potential is the use of glass aggregate glasphalt (glass incorporated into asphalt) has surged in recgnt years. as a bedding material beneath pipes and in storm sewers. For instance, the Iowa natural resources and transportation agencies In Indiana, state officials have helped develop a specification for have used glasphalt in four construction projects in the past two years, the use of glass as bedding material. The standard requires that glass with two more planned by December. Glass was used for 10 percent be processed by equipment specifically designed to ciush glass into of the aggregate needs. The construction of a 20,000-square-footpark- aggregate. ing lot in Clear Lake used 32 tons of PGA, while the construction of a The Indiana environment agency has been instrumental in push- trail in Cedar Falls required 70 tons of glass. The projects were not ing the program forward.+ For example, grants have been provided limited to the use of container glass; scrap window and fluorescent- to a handful of solid waste districts for the purchase of small glass tube glass also were processed and consumed. processing units (500- to 1,000-pound-per-hourunits). The agency Because the glass was ground and screened, the material was sil- plans to aid the city of Vincennes in establishing a larger processing ica-sized (e.g., it passed through a No. 8 sieve) and contained no sharp operation, which would handle glass generated by as many as 10 sol- edges. According to Mike Heitzman, bituminous materials engineer id waste districts. at the state transportation department, "From a paving standpoint, Durango, Colorado repoaedly is processing PGA to fill sandbags. there are no different properties or attributes than what you would The city lines streams and rivers with the sandbags in order to pre- find with regular sand as the aggregate." vent forest fire debris from washing downstream. Some local governments are linking theis glass recycling needs with their road construction contracts. Somerset County, New Jersey pro- Making gardens glitter duces crushed green1 mixed-color cullet unsuitable for glass bottle man- Processed glass can be used as a landscape material. ufacturing. The cullet is sold to a local quarry for 50 cents per ton, The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico sorts glass containers at its picked up. The quany operator then incorporates processed glass into material recovery facility. The mixed-color glass then is crushed, tum- the asphalt sold to the county for road projects. bled to remove paper and organics, and sized in order to produce a sand- like product and a gravel-like output. The latter material is sold for Fused with good intentions approximately $15 per ton to two buyers as landscape material. One technical difficulty in developing new glass recycling markets is that glass behaves differently at different melting temperatures. Glass Paving over the problem bottles, for example, are fosmed at high temperatures (above 2,400 Because of the potential to consume fairly large volumes of scrap glass, degrees F). At that temperature, the raw materials melt easily, then stiff- asphalt applications have received attention for the past three decades. en and anneal quickly. Glass products, on the other hand, can be fosmed As an example, Ocean County, New Jersey has employed processed glass at much lower levels (as low as 1,250 degrees). But, at these lower in road construction for both the base and the top coat for the past 10 temperatures, the resulting value-added products, such as recycled glass years, says John Haas, county recycling coordinator. However, with more pavers and tiles, often end up having a hazy or dull appearance, thus generating a hard-to-market product. Efforts are being made to push through that barrier. For example, research undertaken for the state-funded Chelsea Center for ~ec~cbn~ and Economic Development (Chelsea, Massachusetts) indicates that a proprietary industrial mineral additive shows potential for use in pro- ducing attractive and strong pavers that can compete against concrete and brick products. lass Aggregating Equipment & Systems Some processors are looking to make higher-value fused-glassprod- ucts as well as lower-value PGA. For example, a 6,000-square-foot - Removes Labels I pilot plant is being established in North Carolina by Elizabeth City Glass, a new venture, with an opening set for January. The facility will is- - Eliminates Pre-Breaking I use mixed cullet to make concrete aggregates, filter media and sand- blasting abrasives, as well as fused glass products such as pavers, floor and wall tiles, and drainage pipe. The company is being formed by - Eliminates Color-Sorting Shawn Lemmond, a fosmer state legislator and city mayor. Piles of tiles A handful of firms have had success turning old bottles into new tile. For instance, four-year-old Sandhill Industries (Fairbanks, Alaska) manufactures tile from 99 percent cullet. Aiding in the development of the firm was Bob Kirby, a Seattle-based glass recycling consultant. Sandhill's indoor tile combines the gloss and translucence of glass with the full-color pallet of ceramic tile. The firm, which will be introducing a line of outdoor tile in 2003, moved recently to Boise, Idaho to be closer to larger suppliers and buyers. Tumbling markets A Seattle-area company is becoming known as a producer of an art- ful recycled glass product. TiiVitro (Kent, Washington) makes 100-percent-recycled tumbled glass, such as pebbles. Set alone in a container, placed in fishbowls or floral displays, or used in making mosaic stones and outdoor products, Glass Aggregate Manufacturing Equipment the tumbled glass provides color and light. In a similar vein, the com- Website: www.glassagg.com * Email: [email protected] pany also makes a custom-colored recycled glass chip for incorpora- Phone: 1507) 334-6437* Fax: 1507) 334-6438 tion into cement-like floor materials for a terrazzo effect. Reader service # 266 ~esourceRecycling September 2002 Like many other processors, TriVitro also produces high-volume, lower-priced recycled glass products, such as sandblasting material and filter media. Rubbed the right way As in sandblasting media, the abrasive nature of processed cullet can be used as a market advantage in other products. Earthstone International (Santa Fe, New Mexico) produces a clog- Andela Glass Pulverizing Systems resistant sanding block from recycled glass. The sand blocks are Creating New Markets for Glass Recycling available in a variety of consistencies in order to be used on wood. drywall or metal. The company also makes a recycled glass product used to remove food and grease from grill surfaces, such as backyard barbecue grills. Trapped in glass Abilene, Texas has been pulverizing scrap glass for the past eight years, with much of the material used as road base, sand filters and pipe bedding applications. But the city also uses glass in several oth- er applications. One of the more innovative uses is at the municipal golf course, where processed amber glass replaces sand in traps, thus improving drainage characteristics. Pulverize all your glass into non-sharp aggregate! Classy glass Discover all the new glass markets... right in your own community! Glass Pulverizing Glass Crushing The uses of cullet are endless and some are stunning. Nancy Judd, the executive director of the New Mexico Recycling Commingled Container System W~ndshieldRecycling Coalition (Santa Fe), is widely noted for her organizing of recycled - CRT Recycling Gypsumboard Recycling fashion shows. Her latest dress, sponsored by the Glass Packaging 493 State Route 28 Institute (Alexandria, Virginia), is a full-length 1940s-style evening Richfield Spr~ngs,NY 13439 gown made from recycled red upholstery fabric. About 12,000 pieces Phone: (315) 858-0055 of crushed clear cullet from an Albuquerque sorting plant have been NDELA Fax. (315) 858-2669 Products, Ltd. www andelaproducts.com individually glued to the dress. RR A e-mail. andela@recvclenet Reader service # 294
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Resourre Rec!clir?g September 2002