Glass Half Full is a grassroots glass recycling facility started by Tulane University graduates in 2020. Originally started in a backyard, Glass Half Full has expanded to a location in Joliet St and then relocated to a large processing facility in New Orleans East. Glass Half Full has experienced a large amount of success and support, and they even received a Love Your City Award in our 2021 ceremony under the resource management category.
According to their website, the Glass Half Full process consists of crushing down glass into sands, which have been used as decorations and bracelets in past projects. On Valentine’s Day for instance, Glass Half Full collaborated with NOLA Alchemy to create bracelets made from recycled glass. Their sand is also used for environmentally friendly construction projects and strategies for coastal erosion. This is especially useful when one considers how there has been a recent shortage of sand, used in construction projects, worldwide. Crushing glass bottles down into sand instead of ending up in a landfill helps provide a large supply of sand for these projects, as well as other endless possibilities. Crushing sand from glass also prevents sand extraction from mining and dredging, which leads to coastal erosion and other environmental problems. In terms of the New Orleans community, the efforts of Glass Half Full help reduce the number of glass that is sent to landfills. A single piece of recycled glass may send your entire recycling load to a landfill instead of a recycling center. Glass recycling and drop-offs in New Orleans are also very inaccessible for many residents. To make this procedure even more unsustainable, New Orleans wastes many tax dollars on sending recyclable products to landfills while also importing large amounts of sand for construction projects and natural disaster preparedness. Glass Half Full uses their sand to mitigate natural disasters by providing sandbags that can be used to protect houses and communities and provide maintenance for levees.
The ultimate goal of Glass Half Full is to use recycled sand to restore New Orleans and all of Louisiana’s shoreline. The team assures that their recycled sand can be used to rebuild the Louisiana coastline! According to their social media, Glass Half Full has been expanding their commercial pickup options and machinery while also providing innovative products such as glass-based plant fertilizer. The story of Glass Half Full is truly inspiring and serves as an example of how people come together to make a difference. The Love Your City team is honored to have bestowed the Love Your City Award in Resource Management to them earlier this year!
Glass Half Full hosts free glass drop-offs at 3935 Louisa Street on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9am-5:30pm and on Saturdays from 9am-4pm. Businesses must sign up for commercial pick-up or drop-off if they are interested in donating glass. If you would like to learn more about Glass Half Full, get involved, or donate to their cause, please check out their website.
Source:
https://glasshalffullnola.org/about
Image Credit: @glasshalffull.nola via Instagram