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Recycled Glass Makes a Great Comeback for Home Products

DeAnna Radaj

December 12, 2008 10:48 PM

Give glass a "second chance" by incorporating it into your green décor. Homeowners have loads of recycled options to choose from when decoarting or designing any room in their home.

We’re seeing a lot of recycled glass products for the home these days. Take advantage of this “second chance” for glass by looking for eco-friendly accessories, wallcoverings, flooring, tabletop items, and other home goods made from recycled materials. You may ask why glass is important to eco-friendly design, and why incorporate glass into your GREEN décor?

To begin with, glass is 100% recyclable. There are no waste byproducts created in the glass recycling process. Soft drink, beer, floor, wine, and liquor containers represent the largest source of glass generated and recovered for recycling. For every 2,000 pounds (907 kg) of recycled glass used, approximately 700 pounds (318 kg) of carbon dioxide and 2,700 pounds (1,225 kg) of raw materials are saved. Recycling a single glass jar saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours. The United States alone produces about 12.5 million tons (12,000 kg) of glass every year, and our neighbors to the south annually dispose of over 28 million glass bottles and jars.Glass makes up about 7% of our municipal solid waste.

When manufacturers utilize glass to make other products, think of the impact on our already burgeoning landfills! By recycling glass in our homes and offices, we’re making our own small impact on saving the earth and going GREEN. Look for recycled glass as a material for your next remodeling, renovating, or home decorating project.

Here are a few recommendations:

Terrazzo tile, pavers, planters, and other recycled glass products from Wausau Tile.
Natural Spaces recycled glass dinnerware (see top photo) is eco-chic, and I love their recycled glass drawer pulls.
The Green Glass Company has lovely home accessories and tabletop items, including a nifty coat rack made from bottle tops.
CertainTeed Fiber Glass Insulation (see photo above) is made from recycled glass.
IceStone and other companies make great countertops from 100% recycled glass (see above photo for an example of a beautiful IceStone kitchen counter).

DeAnna Radaj, owner of Bante Design LLC and its production division Eden Place Productions, is a designer who specializes in Integrative Lifestyle Design (the fusion of Eastern and Western interior design philosophies incorporating feng shui and healthy home principles).