Recycled Glass Turning Trash to Treasure

Recycled Glass: Turning Trash to Treasure

Recycled Glass: Turning Trash to Treasure

Are you aware that some terrazzo surfaces contain contents that once made up something else entirely? Glass is just one recycled material found in today’s terrazzo surfaces.

 

Your old television sets, mirrors, lamps, food jars, and wine bottles seem destined to end up in a landfill. Most glass products; however, can be reused and repurposed time and time again. Concord Terrazzo Company is just one of the many companies bringing in post-industrial and post-consumer glass and using the glass to create extraordinary products.

 

Terrazzo is our specialty. While terrazzo can consist of materials like chips of marble, plastic, and shells, glass is unique in terrazzo. Glass chips come in a variety of vibrant colors that can really pop from the terrazzo.

 

Architects and general contractors prefer terrazzo over some other flooring options because of its benefits in sustainability. Terrazzo containing recycled materials such as post-consumer glass chips, and/or supplied within 500 miles of a project’s site can help support LEED accreditation for a building.  Today glass chips can be added to a mix of products such as flooring, tabletops, countertops, wall panels, and other custom surfaces when epoxy terrazzo is considered. Are you aware that some terrazzo surfaces contain contents that once made up something else entirely? Glass is just one recycled material found in today’s terrazzo surfaces.

Behind the Scenes Look

Let’s take a behind the scenes look at how glass is used in terrazzo:

Importing Materials

Concord Terrazzo Company brings in materials from local manufacturing plants and quarries. One of the materials that we import into our processing facility is post-industrial recycled glass. Pictured is a large shard of glass that was once part of a mirror.

 

With any marble or glass aggregate, we take the discarded material and break it down into crushed material that a contractor can use in repairing floors or in new floor installations.

Post Industrial Mirror Glass
Crushed Mirror Glass

Crushing Materials

The next step is to crush the large-size glass into smaller bits. At Concord Terrazzo Company, we normally crush aggregate to standard sizes. Standard sizes on the gradation scale range from size #0-2. However, our crusher technology can crush glass to any size. The crusher can crush the glass to Venetian size (larger than the standard size) or even reduce the size to fine aggregates.

 

On average, Concord Terrazzo Company crushes 30 tons of aggregates daily for supply contractors for their flooring projects.

Processing Materials

Pictured here is single-sided mirror, one of our TERRAZZCO® recycled glass aggregates. This is the end result after the glass is crushed. What a huge difference!

 

Once aggregates go through our crushing machinery, they are cleaned and processed according to the chip size. Some aggregates are crushed down to a powder and some are screened into larger chunks. The processing of aggregates is important to maintain the desired quality. It removes any matter and ensures each aggregate is appropriately sized.

Mirror Glass
Crushed Mirror Glass Packaging

Packaging Materials

Once the chips are processed, they are packaged in 50-pound bags and labeled according to size and stored in the Concord Terrazzo Company warehouse. Concord Terrazzo Company supplies a variety of aggregates in different colors and sizes that you can find here: www.terrazzco.com/aggregates/

 

Bulk orders are available to contractors needing multiple bags or tons of aggregates for their projects. As a result, aggregates are often packaged and delivered in pallets, supersacks, and full truckloads by our warehouse department.

Material Samples

Concord Terrazzo Company helps architects and designers evaluate their terrazzo supply needs. In doing so, our design team will create a sample for the architect or interior designer at no cost. Pictured is what a single-sided mirror looks like in terrazzo form. Anyone can mix and match aggregates, and choose any epoxy resin color to create a unique terrazzo design. Terrazzo offers plenty of room for creativity. A terrazzo’s design is only limited by one’s imagination.

Mirror Glass Terrazzo
Suffolk Municipal Center

Flooring Materials

Once the right aggregate is selected, Concord Terrazzo Company supplies terrazzo contractors with the material for an installation. As seen above, you will notice the specks of a single-sided mirror reflecting from the terrazzo floor. Each aggregate has its own features so it’s a good idea to experiment with a few. Terrazzo can turnaround some beautiful products even with recycled materials.

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Concord Terrazzo Company crushes, processes, and distributes aggregates across the Charlotte, NC area, and nationwide.

We ensure you get the best quality of material delivered to your location on time at a fair price. Review our supply of marble, glass, Mother of Pearl and recycled aggregate options.

 

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