USES OF RECYCLED WINDSHIELDS?

We have glass all around the house. Glass tables, cutlery, windows, there are even glass houses. Sometimes we forget just how much glass we are actually surrounded by. The ornamental  glass industry alone is a multimillion dollar business. India’s  glass manufacturing industry generates a profit of over 50 million US dollars, that is given the current currency conversion rate. India is not even big in glass manufacture. The biggest contributor to the glass industry  are countries in Europe. Internationally, it is a multibillion dollar industry.

According to Scarborough Auto Glass experts, windshields and car windows make up roughly 21 percent of the production. An industry like that would produce massive amounts of waste. The thing with glass products is, they are considered to be fragile. With  the number of cars on the road, you have accidents left and right. Overall it is a business that generates a ton of waste. There are new initiatives to deal with the excess. A new program is specially dedicated to recycling car windshields.

Previously you could not recycle windshields, the size of each individual layer and the PVC layer in the middle made it difficult to process a fully formed windshield. A new machine mashes the full panel into star dust. The entire windshield is manually rolled into a seventy inch long and fifty inch wide, roller which separates the PVC layer while smashing the glass into  little quarter inch homogenous particles. You can practically make anything with glass particles like this. Once melted down, you have a fresh molten source for new glass.

Multi-Purpose Bowls: Recycled windshield can be made into everything from fish bowls to vases. A funny fact is, if you put tinted glass directly into the machines, the resulting glass pebbles retain the colour of the tint. Making the result perfect for making ornamental glass pieces.

Walls and Doors: In Portland, Oregon, most glass doors, shower doors and glass walls are made of recycled windshields. Canada’s own Mosaic Art Source, inspired by artist Ellen Blakely creates stunning glass mosaics made out of recycled windshields. As many Scarborough auto glass experts know, the mosaic artworks are attractive, inventive and downright ingenious. Recycled windshields are also sturdy enough to walk on. You can use it on floors and to make glass houses. A big use for recycled windshield glass is to make greenhouses. In a country like Canada, a lot of farming has to be done in a greenhouse environment due to the long and intense winter months.  Windshields are a great pool of resource for other sectors in the glass industry.

Windshields: You guessed it, you can use crushed windshields to make new windshields. There are car companies, like Ford, that use recycled windshields to make new windshields. If you need a new windshield, there are a number of Auto Glass changers that provide that option. If you are really environmentally concerned, always look for windshield replacements at local junkyards. For everyday models, you can find windshield replacements quite easily.

If you want to contribute to the recycled windshield industry, there are a number of recycling plants that have the equipment needed to process windshields. So if you go to Scarborough Auto Glass for a replacement, ask them to give you your old one. Take it to a recycling facility, to get that feel good feeling. Your little way of helping the environment.