Goodwill stores pulverizing unsellable glass into sand amid global sand shortage
NEW CASTLE, Del. (CBS) – Staff at the Goodwill of Delaware unveiled a new glass pulverizer machine designed to help address sustainable fixes to excess glass waste and a growing global sand shortage.
The pulverizer machine will convert donated glass that has been deemed unsellable into usable sand. The machine will be one of three in the region with others at Goodwill of the Chesapeake in Baltimore and the Goodwill of Greater Washington D.C. arriving this summer.
According to the nonprofit Recycle Across America, an estimated 28 billion glass bottles and jars end up in landfills each year. Despite glass being completely recyclable, only 33% of glass heads to recycling facilities, according to the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council. Turning unsellable glass into usable sand is a two-pronged approach to sustainability that Goodwill Industries is hoping to be at the forefront of.
"This initiative represents a significant step forward in our commitment to environmental stewardship and economic development. Training more than 1,500 individuals in new skills is a testament to our belief in the potential of every person to contribute positively to society," Colleen Morrone, CEO of Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County said in a statement.
According to a 2022 United Nations report, sand is the second most-consumed resource on Earth, second only to water. Demand for sand used in construction and manufacturing industries is set to increase 45% over the next 40 years.
Funding for the machines, training, community education and employment programs was funded with a three-year grant from Truist Charitable Fund.