Re: [greenyes] Glass recycling -- Alternative Uses

[KirbGood@no.address]

I'd like to add a practical plea to Chris's and John's about glass recycling 
and alternative uses.
Real businesses using real recycled glass in alternative uses have been slow 
in developing.   But as opposed to a decade ago, at least now they are 
undeniably real.   I'm involved with three:   www.trivitro.com, 
www.sandhillind.com, and
http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com/shop.mv?CatCode=PRODUCT&;
ProdCode=GLASS_PAVER

These businesses make and sell products, with no subsidies, from recycled 
glass.   In any of these cases, if the recycling of glass were ended in their 
communities, they would go out of business, because they are dependent upon glass 
collections for raw materials.   But they cannot support the full volume of 
collections by themselves.

People often assume that if the glass is being thrown out with the garbage, 
it is an easy thing to divert it back to new uses that arise.   I spent this 
morning traveling to, then trying to convince one specific potential source for 
broken tempered waste glass to put their glass aside for me rather than 
dumpstering it.   It's hard to get other businesses to make any effort at all.

So if it is practical, as Chris suggests, to maintain collections even by 
pouring glass into the lower value uses, justifying it as an offset against solid 
waste costs, please continue to do so.   Once collections are ended, then you 
have absolutely closed the door to the potential for higher value alternative 
uses and for sustainable businesses based on waste to grow.   

Bob Kirby