Glass is an infinitely recyclable material, but almost all glass in Miami-Dade ends up in landfills. These changemakers are innovating ways for all of us to rebuild the broken recycling system, protect coastlines, and regenerate nature.
Jorge Camperos & Francisco Torres, Glass For Life | Photo by Greg Clark
On a bright Sunday morning at the Rickenbacker Marina, boaters preparing to depart for a day on the water were greeted with an unusual question: Are you carrying any glass? This isn’t a crackdown on a new rule. This question, posed by Francisco Torres and Paola Barranco, is the first step in diverting glass products from landfills and jumpstarting the glass recycling process of the duo’s latest circular venture, Glass for Life.
At the marina, boaters can now pick up a black bin – found on the docks – to safely store any glass bottles they use and then return the bin and its contents to the marina for recycling. Since February 2024, Glass for Life has already diverted more than 80,000 bottles from landfills.
“The feedback about this initiative has been great,” says Aabad Melwani, President of Rickenbacker Marina. “If you make it easy for people to recycle and do a bit of hand-holding and educating, not in a preachy or proselytizing way, I think people are very receptive to it.”
Aabad explains how the new system works, with visitors filling the glass bins quickly. The objective is to collect as many recyclables as possible without cross-contamination.
“People have to go through a learning curve here. We're probably going to have to do multiple activations with robust, consistent, and frequent messaging as to what our objective is here, but I think we'll get there, and as more businesses, schools, and other institutions get swept up in this kind of positive momentum, I think we'll start seeing a change really soon.”
STUTTERING CYCLES
Compared to other recyclable materials such as plastic and paper, glass is 100% recyclable, meaning it can be repurposed and recycled infinite times without losing its grade or quality. However, Miami-Dade County has a historically low glass recycling rate of 7%, according to the most recent county recycling report.
Due to the existing single-stream system and lack of education, all recyclables are dumped into the same recycling bin and contaminated glass cannot be effectively recycled. In other words, almost all your beer and wine bottles end up in landfills that can take up to a million years to degrade.
Glass accumulation in our waste stream – at a local and global level – devastates our environment and air quality: a study by the University of Southampton found that the more common practice of processing glass bottles in waste facilities largely contributes to greenhouse gas emissions because of the intense heat required to break down the glass. According to the EPA, glass takes more than one million years to decompose in landfills.
“Sand is the second most exploited resource on the planet after water. Sand has great value, so why are we sending this glass that could be fully utilized to a landfill to pollute and take up space? We need to do better,” Francisco says.
Jorge Camperos, Francisco Torres & Paola Barranco, Glass For Life | Photo by Greg Clark
THE SHIFT FROM LINEAR TO CIRCULAR
The groundbreaking Glass for Life initiative began with friendship: Paola, a passionate eco-enthusiast originally from Mexico, reached out to Francisco and offered her help.
Since October 2020, they have diverted over 3.3 million tons of organic waste from landfills through their venture Compost For Life. Now, it’s time for glass.
"I always talk to my husband: how are we going to look our children in their eyes and tell them that we know that we were doing wrong, we know that we were using our money to fill landfills instead of using our money, our time and our resources to build a life? So, the only way that I can see my sons in the eyes when they are my age is if they remember that we fought, that we were trying to change the system, and trying to build a better future for them," reflects Paola.
Paola Barranco, Glass For Life | Photo by Greg Clark
For now, Glass for Life offers primarily commercial services. Miami-Dade and Broward County business owners can easily request a service quote online. Glass for Life sets up a custom service tailored to their client, so each business gets the number of carts and a service frequency that fits their needs – all customers have to do is fill up the cart with glass. Then Glass for Life collects the glass materials for recycling.
“We need to lead by example, we cannot send these materials that have cycled life to a landfill to take up space,” Francisco continues. “When you think about sand, sand is the second most used resource on the planet after water. So sand has a great value, and why are we sending this glass that could be fully utilized to a landfill to pollute and take up space?”
HOSPITABLE LEADERS
Among Glass for Life's clients are small and large brands such as Mr. C, Mandolin Aegean Bistro, Run Room, Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and Julia & Henry's Eatery. But it all started when Francisco and Paola met Paula Lombardo, a seasoned sustainability expert serving as Director of Sustainability and Community Outreach at the 1 Hotel South Beach.
Since all 1 Hotel properties aim to divert at least 70% of all waste away from landfills, and county-wide recycling programs were not doing a good job, Paula was determined to find a new solution:
“Francisco is an amazing partner and is always eager to help us find creative solutions to problems. And I think that it really exemplifies the power of partnerships. Oftentimes the relationship with vendors is purely transactional. You pay for something, and you get something in return. And in my opinion, it's really a very shallow type of relationship. Whereas if you look at relationships as resources, especially if you're working with partners that are like-minded in their values, like Compost/Glass for Life, you take partnerships to a higher and deeper level.”
The 1 Hotel has a comprehensive waste diversion program. All inedible food waste is managed by Compost for Life, while edible organics and gently used items such as uniforms, furniture, and office supplies are donated to organizations like Miami Rescue Mission.
Their commitment to sustainability goes even further. The 1 Hotel also partners with a cooking oil recycling company that converts used oil into renewable resources like biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel. They also employ a downstream waste sorter to collect the recyclables that have erroneously ended up in the trash.
Paula Lombardo, 1 Hotel South Beach | Photo by Greg Clark
Paula explains that although sustainability is always good for the planet, it also should be financially beneficial:
“At the core of all sustainability are three pillars: people, planet, and profit. By valuing sustainability, we're not going to make money at the planet's expense, and we're not going to make money at the expense of people. We're saying that companies that are for profit, should still be doing good for the planet and making money at the same time. These pillars should be equally balanced.”
Glass has a lot of value: glass sand can fortify soil, creating a more compact structure so it doesn’t wash away in heavy rains. It can also restore Florida’s beachfront in the face of a sand shortage. To lead by example, as Francisco says, you don’t need to go far away.
SustainAbility Showcase | April 4, 2024 | Photo Courtesy of 1 Hotel South Beach
PALM BEACH’S SUCCESS STORY: ‘THE RIGHT THING TO DO’
The Solid Waste Authority, Palm Beach County’s government-funded recycling program, proves glass recycling systems are viable. Palm Beach County is recognized for having the highest recycling rate compared to all other Florida counties. They estimate recovering more than 12,000 tons of glass per year.
For those who say glass recycling is not economically beneficial and has “no value” for the market, the long-term environmental impact counters this argument – it is the value.
“From an economic standpoint, glass recycling is not profitable. Despite the challenges, the Authority has always included glass in our recycling program because it’s the right thing to do. All our recyclable materials are resources that shouldn’t take up space in our landfills. We maintain strong education and outreach efforts to ensure Palm Beach County residents, visitors, and businesses participate in our recycling program,” says Jessica Winter, the Authority’s recycling and education marketing manager.
Their system ships glass to processors who produce color-sorted cullet to manufacture new glass products or other materials such as fiberglass insulation and sandblasting grit. The Authority implements a dual-stream recycling program where residents have separate bins to separate cardboard from glass.
BEAUTY IN BROKEN THINGS
“Glass is often perceived as extremely fragile. We break glass because we think it is fragile. But glass is also extraordinarily strong. Nature is extremely fragile but extraordinarily resilient,” explains Jenna Frein, a glass sculptor and educator at the University of Miami.
Jenna Frein | Photo Courtesy of the Artist
Jenna utilizes upcycled glass as her primary source of artistic expressionism. She references the ancient Japanese practice of Kintsugi, the process of repairing broken pottery by mending the broken areas with other materials, which is believed to enhance and raise the value of artifacts altogether, as her motivating source of inspiration.
Her philosophy focuses on teaching the parallels between the transformational aspects of glass and human experiences. By introducing the concept of broken glass, she inspires her students to empathize with the shattered but delicate material and repurpose it as artwork to create something meaningful.
Installation by Jenna Frein at Club Space - Miami | Photo Courtesy of the Artist
Through her exposure to glass and finding solace in nature, Jenna understands the ephemeral nature of life and seeks to share her perspective with her audiences. She has created many glass-shaped concepts illuminating Florida's environmental concerns. In 2023, Jenna displayed a Christmas tree adorned with 300 pieces of glass ornaments representing ocean life at the Miami Beach Edition hotel.
“My greatest joys are when students figure out how to do something with glass and make something they're proud of. I focus on developing confidence and a sense of agency in people so they feel like they have a place in the world and a sense of ownership in their environment so that they treat it with loving kindness.”
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