Alyice on April 26th, 2008

Recycled Altered Glass

As Earth Day approached this year I was pleased to announce that I had finally found a creative use for all the glass jars that usually make their way to the city dump and I couldn’t be more pleased. Now, not only do I get to have creative play days, but I can do something better for the environment, too.

As you know, Americans are pretty good about recycling glass drinking bottles—especially since many states pay you cash for doing so. But how many of us actually recycle those glass jars used for pickles, mayo, salsa, olive oil, and other food products?

If you live in a city that has a curbside recycling program in place, it’s easy to stay earth conscious. Just sort your trash, place it in the proper trash cans, and wait for trash day. But what if you live somewhere that doesn’t have a curbside recycling program in place? Can you honestly say that you haul your trash off to the nearest recycling facility? And what if that recycling facility is an hour away? Do you make the trip or do you, like most of us, simply throw your trash away without a second thought?

While not all glass can be recycled through recycling centers nearly all glass can be repurposed or reused as art. All it takes is a little imagination.

Just check out what some of these companies are doing with recycled glass:

EnviroLGLAS turns old glass into floors anyone can walk on.
Bedrock Industries creates wonderful mosaic pieces for the home and garden.
EcoFriendly Flooring creates tiles that can be used in bathrooms and floors.
Fire & Light creates beautiful, colored glass tableware.
Simon Harrison Design creates beautiful jewelry.

For ideas you, personally, can use for repurposing the glass in your home, check out DIY Network’s glass section at DIYNetwork.com.

And finally, to discover why Master Glass Artist, Erwin Timmers, says, “We’re at a point in our lifetime in our society where we really have to start making a change in the way we interact with our environment ” check out The Washington Post’s article titled, “A Glass Master Displays the Art of Conservation“.

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One Comment

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Design for Mankind says:

Alyice—

I LOVED your comment on my blog; thanks for sharing so much of your experience as a creative business owner— we have much to learn from your story!

Love to you.
Posted at 3:54 pm May 1st, 2008