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Beautiful Kitchen And Bathrooms Made With Recycled Glass

by Elke Erschfeld

The first time that I encountered the sustainable surfaces from IceStone was during a presentation at the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) conference in Boulder. It fascinated me right away that the company turns waste like recycled glass into beautiful everyday objects such as counter tops, conference tables or bathroom vanities. Glass is ideal for recycling since it can be reused endlessly. The durable surfaces are green alternatives to mined or engineered materials and contain no resins or plastics. What makes them sustainable is that they are made of 100% recycled glass from pre- and post-consumer places within the USA mixed with Portland cement and pigments.

By producing recycled glass surfaces the company has been able to keep over 10 million pounds of glass out of the waste stream since 2003. On a bigger scale this type of process can help to improve the infrastructure of the glass recycling industry in the New York State area with IceStone being based in Brooklyn. Whenever I research sustainable products I look for third party certifications. The IceStone surface is Cradle to Cradle certified which ensures that the entire lifecycle of the product is sustainable. Others green initiatives include a water recycling system that filters and reuses all water from the manufacturing process and 100% of the energy use is offset with renewable energy certificates. It’s no surprise that the recycled glass surfaces have helped many buildings to achieve LEED certification.

Creatively I like that IceStone’s surfaces are produced in colorful slabs and can be used in numerous applications such as shower walls, tabletops or even receptions areas. The visual effect looks like mosaic pieces of broken recycled glass embedded in a concrete mix. It looks very pretty and contemporary. Many of the high-end surfaces would make great statement pieces at eco-friendly businesses or residential homes. Get ready to learn more about the use of recycled glass in other designs through my upcoming posts this year. It’s one of my latest sustainable material obsessions.

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