Last year I went to a documentary showing at our library about how we can continue to help reduce waste in our state. One of the things I did not realize is that my own city didn’t recycle glass even though we had a single stream recycling program. So that got me wondering what I ought to do with my glass now that I was aware…
Cue Overlooked Materials.
Around the time I realized my city didn’t recycle it, I also found out that the city next to me, Chattanooga, was starting a pilot program to get glass for a local company that would recycle it.
I emailed our city manager and council members about them pursuing the same grant and matching program that Chattanooga did for Overlooked Materials. It didn’t fly, but I am never one to give up on a good cause, so I convinced the library where I work to pioneer the glass recycling service as a part of our new gardening/environmental initiatives. In July, when the new fiscal year starts, we will be a hub for community glass recycling!
What do Overlooked Materials do with their glass? Currently they are innovating with the glass they tumble and grind* and they want the community in on it, too!
So with a small amount of my grant money, I bought some glass both coarse sand and pea gravel size. Like 50 pounds of them.
I have been using them 2 ways so far with my students and they involve potting indoor plants.
My students brought cuttings from plants they had and we potted them up using soil and coarse ground sand. We topped them off with the pea gravel. This provides silica for the plants and moisture retention. Basically, glass mulch. They had so much fun sorting through the glass like gem mining.
I can’t wait to try more things as I learn more applications, but in the meantime I have given the glass away to students to use in their potted plants at home and I am also fixing up our houseplants the library, too!
- If you’re not in the selected area, you can pay $15 for a monthly pick up of glass and now also styrofoam!
- If you are interested in this and you live in Chattanooga, you can see if you can sign up for the free pilot program.
- If you want the processed glass, you can order on their website in increments of 1 pound to 50 pounds with various glass colors for coarse and pebble sizes. They put your order in a locker and e-mail you the code to come pick it up at your convenience.
A big part of what we focus on at Maple Key is not just making sure we’re taken care of, but that we are looking out for everyone else. Keeping glass out of landfills, helping our soil grow plants, and creating beautiful original art says something about stewardship, us discovering what we were created to do with our time and resources. We are better when we partner together with our communities.
*A side note, when I went to pick up my order I had to go into the warehouse area and they had some GORGEOUS pavers and coasters made with some of the glass. Art + recycling is always wonderful to see. Also, the man working on the pavers told me that he squirts some dish soap in water to rinse the glass and help any paper float to the top. He seemed so excited about the work they were doing!
Maple Key Tutoring 