Glass Crushing, A New Way to Reuse
Alter Fritz, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fairmont State University’s Creative Sustainability Council (CSC) heard about the idea of crushing glass into sand and decided that they wanted to get in on this new way of reusing resources. After receiving a $27,120 grant from Appalachian Stewardship Foundation (ASF), the council could do just that. The glass crusher machine is located on FSU’s campus in the parking garage. All students, employees, and members of the community are welcome to book an appointment through this link to have their glass crushed.
The sand produced from the students and staff will go towards other projects happening on campus, while the members of the community will be asked to take their crushed glass back to their homes to use at their own discretion. The plan is for the glass crushing operation to be continued into next semester at FSU.
One FSU student, Angelica Starcovic, is currently using the crushed glass for a pottery project in an art class. It can be used to pave roads or sidewalks, underneath potted plants, and an endless amount of other options.
Erica Harvey, Abelina Suarez Professor of Chemistry at Fairmont State University stated, “When I realized that I couldn’t recycle glass anymore, that made me so sad. Glass is a heritage for West Virginia, and for this area, in particular. Being able to bring that back and let people use glass, knowing that they’re still doing something good all of the way through the life cycle of the glass is really exciting for me, personally.” To say that the council is excited and proud about this new project at Fairmont State University would be an understatement.
The CSC is very welcoming to entertain new sustainability project ideas from students and staff members. They are looking for fun, creative proposals that people will actively want to engage in and promote on campus. The CSC encourages people to email them at [email protected].
