Hasta La Ideas

Founded in 2020, Glass Half Full is a New Orleans-based startup that recycles glass to make sand and gravel to be used in disaster relief, construction, new products and boosting coastal restoration—an issue particularly pertinent to Louisiana where coastal degradation occurs aggressively. After sourcing discarded glass from their donation service, as well as local restaurants and businesses that they partner with, the company pulverizes the material (sifting out any unwanted components) until it reaches the desired consistency. The process, which was developed in co-founder Fran Trautmann’s backyard, is capable of making sand that is, as she says, “pretty close to the original sand.” Already, they’ve made over 10,000 pounds of recycled glass sand which was used to create a drain and rain garden for the Point-Au-Chien Tribe. Learn more about their impressive work at Reckon.

Image courtesy of Glass Half Full