Sand to Glass to Sand
Credit: Glass Half Full
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by recent news about the state of the environment? Even just seeing the headlines – “High Heat, Humidity Scorch Millions” . . . “Fire Sparks Dangerous Pollution Levels” . . . “Nitrogen Pollution in River Basins Increases” . . . “EPA May Be Underestimating Landfill Methane”– can make you want to jump in bed and pull the covers up over your head. The problems loom so large and you feel so small. It seems ridiculous to think you could actually make a difference.
But I’m here to challenge that. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing stories of individuals (and their friends) who are making a big difference. Each one started with a wild idea, overcame their fears, and made it happen.
The first story is one of my favorites, since it comes from my home state of Louisiana. I also love this story because the heroes started scheming about this back when they were still in college!
It seems that one evening in 2020, Franziska Trautmann and Max Steitz were sharing a bottle of wine and lamenting the fact that the bottle was destined to end up in a landfill. They were part of a product lifecycle that turned a potentially valuable resource into waste.
Reminds me of a sign I saw in Amsterdam:
Anyway, Franziska and Max decided to do something about it. They rolled-up their sleeves and developed a plan to recycle glass and turn it into something highly functional. Rather than take-on the existing waste system, they dreamed-up a new grassroots recycling program and Glass Half Full was born in New Orleans, in the backyard of a frat house. They began by collecting and hand-crushing their friends’ glass, and things took-off from there. Since then, they’ve relocated and expanded the operation multiple times, and now coordinate a team of staff, volunteers, and community members diverting tons of glass from landfills. In March of 2025, Glass Half Full opened a facility in Chalmette, LA, that recycles over 300,000 pounds of glass per day!
The icing on the cake of the Glass Half Full story is what happens to the glass. It is all crushed and processed in Louisiana, supporting local communities instead of sending the work overseas. Through that process, the glass becomes sand and “gravel” that can be used in construction and landscaping, and to renourish the eroding coastlines of Louisiana. So not only are they keeping bottles out of landfills, they’re also reducing the multiple environmental impacts of mining sand and gravel.
Listen to the Glass Half Full story here: Marfa Public Radio (approx. 11 mins.)
Or hear Franziska’s Ted Talk here: Franziska Trautmann Ted Talk (approx. 6 mins.)
Remember that things weren’t always the way they are today – things change because people want them to and work to make it happen. As Franziska said, “The key was that we simply started, and we kept going.” The world needs your ideas and your energy. And there are others out there ready to help, because we truly are all in this together.