Recycled Glass Countertops: Transforming Waste Into Durable Beauty

Over the last few years, recycled glass countertops have become a popular option for people who are looking for something unusual, beautiful, and that also makes a personal statement about their environmental consciousness.

Terrazzo montage. Courtesy of Green Home Source.

The current spectrum of conventional countertops come in styles made from materials including: plastic laminates; quarried stones like granite; silicate minerals like quartz; metals like stainless steel; and butcher block woods.

While there’s nothing wrong with conventional countertops in terms of beauty and functionality, the biggest reason for considering recycled glass countertops or other terrazzo countertops is that they’re the kindest thing that you can do for the planet in terms of preserving natural resources.

For those that don’t know, terrazzo is the original recycled product, a composite material made for centuries by taking leftover pieces of materials like quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable chips and combining them with a cementing binder to cure and then polish for a beautiful, smooth, textured looking surface.

While terrazzo surfaces are beautiful, since they’re using already existing materials that would otherwise find their way to the landfills, they’re also not taking any existing resources from the environment.

Today, countertops made either exclusively or even partially of recycled glass are also gaining a lot of attention because of the broad range of colors and designs they come in.

Depending on the manufacturer, they require no special maintenance, to quite the bit, though they all have their unique charm. Three of the top makers worth taking a look at are: EnviroGLAS, IceStone, and Vetrazzo.

If you’re the sort that really doesn’t like maintenance, then you are really going to love EnviroGLAS because it doesn’t require you to do any waxing or resealing once the countertop is installed.

EnviroGLAS takes post-consumer and industrial glass and porcelain bound for landfills and creates products including countertops and flooring.

EnviroGLAS recycled glass countertop. Stock photo.

The recycled glass comes from things like discarded bottles, mirrors, and plate windows, while the porcelain comes from thing like discarded tubs, sinks, and toilets.

The countertop colors can come in clear, mirror, green, blue, amber, plate (which varies from a light green to gray) or a combination of all the colors. The company also has an EnviroGLO color, which is clear glass embedded with aqua or green photo luminescent paint that makes it glow in the dark.

A note about EnviroGLAS products is that while they don’t need to be waxed or resealed, they do need a special cleaner because they don’t do well with the usual strong acidic cleaners. The company recommends, “When cleaning the surface, use only neutral cleaners with a PH Factor between seven and 10.” Gentle dish soap and water is also a good idea.

Another good aspect is that EnviroGLAS’s products are manufactured in Texas, and the company is creating jobs for American workers. Likewise, IceStone and Vetrazzo are also proud to manufacture in the United States.

IceStone’s manufacturing facility is in New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard. The company distinguishes itself by making all its countertops and other surfaces exclusively with recycled glass as its main material.

Late last month, Sarah Corey, director of public relations at IceStone, testified on the benefits of green manufacturing and sustainable products in a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Since 2003, the company has diverted 10 million pounds of glass from landfills through the production of its products, Corey told the committee. IceStone’s surfaces contain three core materials: 100 percent recycled glass, cement, and pigments.

IceStone recycled glass countertop. Stock photo.

Corey said in her testimony that, “There are no carcinogenic resins or toxic chemicals in IceStone, so our products are safe for employees who make the material and for the families who prepare their meals on IceStone countertops.

“We procure 100 percent of the cement of our surfaces and 100 percent of our glass from American suppliers. Every slab is cast in Brooklyn.” These slabs come in a wide spectrum of colors, ranging in hues of white, gray, red, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

While having a larger color palette that most, as well as being safe for people and the environment, one drawback that IceStone products have is that they do require regular maintenance by homeowners.

IceStone tells customers that its fabricators (home installers) follow a recommended sealing process, but “once the product is installed, we recommend monitoring the surface. If you notice water no longer beads up on it, then it is time to reseal and wax the surface.

“We recommend all installations to be resealed two to three times a year. IceStone recommends using one of the following sealant products – Miracle 511 H2O Plus, Nano 1000 Sealer, Buddy Rhodes National Looking Penetrating Sealer and Satin Sealer, Protex by Tenax, or Bulletproof by StoneTech Pro.”

For daily cleaning after meal preparation, it’s advised that gentle cleaners be used. Dish soap and water is an easy and safe idea. Don’t uses scouring pads, ammonias, or similar harsh products.

Vetrazzo recycled glass countertop. Photo from naturalinteriors.us.

Vetrazzo recycled glass countertops have the same daily cleaning requirements as IceStone, and similar resealing requirement. “We recommend that you reseal it every year or two to keep it like new. Wipe on the sealant, let it sit for 20 minutes or so, and wipe it off.

“We also recommend applying a coat of wax such as Goddard’s Granite and Marble Polish every six months to add an additional protective layer,” says the company.

Despite the maintenance requirements, Vetrazzo also says that it’s “comparable in strength, scratch resistance, thermal resistance, durability, care and maintenance to granite.”

All of the glass used by Vetrazzo comes from recycled sources and makes up about 85 percent of each final product, which is manufactured in Georgia.

“Our largest source of glass is from the neighborhood curbside recycling programs. Other glass comes from post-industrial usage, windows, drinking glasses, stemware, automotive glass, stained glass, laboratory glass, reclaimed glass from demolition, and other unusual sources such as decommissioned traffic light lenses,” says the company.

The countertop colors range from very sedate to extremely vibrant. They come in varying shades of white, gray, amber, brown, red, green, blue, florescent, and combinations of colors.

Also, something to keep in mind with the countertops of all of these makers is that while their products are stain resistant, if something acidic falls on them like coffee, wine, colas, citric juices, or vinegar, they will leave stains if not immediately cleaned up.

A good recommendation is that if you have a messy nature, but want an eco-friendly recycled glass countertop, buy a darker color so the staining won’t show as much.

Reader comments and input are always welcomed!

Comments

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