Not all of the recycled glass aggregate used these days goes into concrete. Here’s a quick look at some decorative building alternatives made possible by recycled glass:
The Spanish company Cosentino, the world’s largest manufacturer and importer of natural quartz, puts recycled glass, porcelain, and scrap from stone quarries into a countertop alternative it calls Eco by Cosentino. Seventy five percent of Eco by Cosentino comes from recycled materials, all held together with a binder made partly from corn oil. Eco slabs come in various dimensions and thicknesses, 10 colors, and either a polished or a matte leather finish.
Texas-based EnviroGlas uses recycled glass and porcelain in a resinous binder to make a terrazzostyle countertop slab known as EnviroSlab. With 23 resin colors, aggregate available in six sizes and 18 colors (including two photoluminescent colors), and either a matte or a high-gloss finish, there’s plenty of variety. For floors the company has a tile-sized version called EnviroPlank, as well as a pour-in-place product called EnviroTraz, which — at less than $1 per square foot — is a good choice for big public spaces.
Glass aggregate is also a key component in an industrial flooring system called GR Stonclad, made by a New Jersey company called Stonhard. The glass is mixed with an epoxy resin, an amine curing agent, and soy-based additives to form a surface resistant to chemicals, abrasion and wear. It comes in a dozen standard colors, with custom colors available.
www.ecobycosentino.com
www.enviroglasproducts.com
www.stonhard.com
