by Jerry Powell Resource Recycling

More than nearly any other recyclable, scrap glass can be made into numerous useful products.

F or several reasons, glass recycling appears 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 Recycling Soon to Become PassC?'in the May 2002 issue of 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 represents about half of the firm's annual output.

Numerous local governments have pur- chased processing equipment in order to make glass aggregates. As an example, San Juan County, Washington makes glass products for 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.

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 years.

ACC was formed by the Aluminum Asso- ciation (Washington), representing metal pro- ducers, and the Can Manufacturers Institute (Washington), consisting of can makers.

ACC has selected Washington-based Adworks as its public relations firm.

Recyding and composting patents

Aluminum can recycling rate varies widely The success of efforts to retrieve aluminum cans for recycling varies widely around the world.

Two of the top systems are Brazil, where the 2001 recycling rate reached 85.0 percent, and Japan, where 82.8 per-

cent of used cans were collected. In Western Europe, the aluminum can recy-

cling rate rose two percentage points in 2001, to 45 percent. The top programs are in Switzerland (91 percent), Norway and Ice- land (89 percent), and Sweden (88 percent). At the low end are Spain (20 percent), Portu- gal (21 percent) and Ireland (26 percent).

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Resource Recycling September 2002.

After only two years, the program has produced some Problems with high contamination rates, high - transportation costs and low public participation had Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania investigating alternatives to its 25-sit- Roll-Off Recycling System.

tremendous statistics: Tons Collected +287 % Cost per Ton -48 % Revenue per Ton +589% Residue Rate -83%

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Putting glass to bed One PGA application showing potential is the use of glass aggregate as a bedding material beneath pipes and in storm sewers.

In Indiana, state officials have helped develop a specification for the use of glass as bedding material. The standard requires that glass be processed by equipment specifically designed to ciush glass into aggregate.

The Indiana environment agency has been instrumental in push- ing the program forward.+ For example, grants have been provided to a handful of solid waste districts for the purchase of small glass processing units (500- to 1,000-pound-per-hour units). The agency plans to aid the city of Vincennes in establishing a larger processing operation, which would handle glass generated by as many as 10 sol- id waste districts.

Durango, Colorado repoaedly is processing PGA to fill sandbags. The city lines streams and rivers with the sandbags in order to pre- vent forest fire debris from washing downstream.

Making gardens glitter Processed glass can be used as a landscape material.

The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico sorts glass containers at its material recovery facility. The mixed-color glass then is crushed, tum- 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 approximately $15 per ton to two buyers as landscape material.

Paving over the problem Because of the potential to consume fairly large volumes of scrap glass, asphalt applications have received attention for the past three decades. As an example, Ocean County, New Jersey has employed processed glass in road construction for both the base and the top coat for the past 10 years, says John Haas, county recycling coordinator. However, with more

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~esource Recycling September 2002

and more communities seeing stockpiles of glass increase, interest in glasphalt (glass incorporated into asphalt) has surged in recgnt years.

For instance, the Iowa natural resources and transportation agencies have used glasphalt in four construction projects in the past two years, with two more planned by December. Glass was used for 10 percent of the aggregate needs. The construction of a 20,000-square-foot park- ing lot in Clear Lake used 32 tons of PGA, while the construction of a trail in Cedar Falls required 70 tons of glass. The projects were not limited to the use of container glass; scrap window and fluorescent- tube glass also were processed and consumed.

Because the glass was ground and screened, the material was sil- ica-sized (e.g., it passed through a No. 8 sieve) and contained no sharp edges. According to Mike Heitzman, bituminous materials engineer at the state transportation department, "From a paving standpoint, there are no different properties or attributes than what you would find with regular sand as the aggregate."

Some local governments are linking theis glass recycling needs with their road construction contracts. Somerset County, New Jersey pro- duces crushed green1 mixed-color cullet unsuitable for glass bottle man- ufacturing. The cullet is sold to a local quarry for 50 cents per ton, picked up. The quany operator then incorporates processed glass into the asphalt sold to the county for road projects.

Fused with good intentions One technical difficulty in developing new glass recycling markets is that glass behaves differently at different melting temperatures. Glass bottles, for example, are fosmed at high temperatures (above 2,400 degrees F). At that temperature, the raw materials melt easily, then stiff- en and anneal quickly. Glass products, on the other hand, can be fosmed at much lower levels (as low as 1,250 degrees). But, at these lower temperatures, the resulting value-added products, such as recycled glass 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 ~ e c ~ c b n ~ 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.

Some processors are looking to make higher-value fused-glass prod- ucts as well as lower-value PGA. For example, a 6,000-square-foot pilot plant is being established in North Carolina by Elizabeth City Glass, a new venture, with an opening set for January. The facility will 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 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, the tumbled glass provides color and light. In a similar vein, the com- pany also makes a custom-colored recycled glass chip for incorpora- tion into cement-like floor materials for a terrazzo effect.

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- resistant sanding block from recycled glass. The sand blocks are 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.

Classy glass The uses of cullet are endless and some are stunning.

Nancy Judd, the executive director of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition (Santa Fe), is widely noted for her organizing of recycled fashion shows. Her latest dress, sponsored by the Glass Packaging Institute (Alexandria, Virginia), is a full-length 1940s-style evening gown made from recycled red upholstery fabric. About 12,000 pieces of crushed clear cullet from an Albuquerque sorting plant have been individually glued to the dress. RR

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Resourre Rec!clir?g September 2002