Garden mulch from beer bottles
The recent closure of a town landfill in Tennessee has spurred an innovation in the afterlife of one common discard: beer bottles. Faced with the prospect of high tipping fees associated with hauling its waste elsewhere, the Cumberland County Recycling Center purchased a glass grinder which pulverizes heavy bottles and jars – a heavy component of the town’s waste – into fine gravel, dust, and mulch-like products. Smooth enough to handle safely, these products can be used as landscaping material and can even be mixed with road salt to treat icy roads.
Recycling glass into mulch has economic benefits, too. The town sells its pulverized glass product back to its residents, who benefit from a mulch that doesn’t break down. The town has almost doubled its annual revenue from recycling efforts since the purchase of the pulverizing machine.
(via Atlantic Cities)
