Dive Brief:
- Safelite AutoGlass announced that over 1.3 million windshields, or 23,000 tons, were diverted from landfills in 2014 through recycling efforts.
- The windshield recycling program was launched in collaboration with Shark Glass Recycling North America in 2012.
- Generally, windshields aren’t recycled due to their composition. Laminated glass is made with resin, which makes it challenging to separate the layers and extract the materials in order to recycle them.
Dive Insight:
Shark processes the laminated glass, separates it, then recycles 90% of it for use in new products, such as fiberglass insulation. 7% is converted into PVB scrap to use in the creation of new plastic products. Safelite touted its logistics of collecting the damaged windshields and shipping them to the recycling plant as carbon neutral in design. The company is making efforts to bring recycling to all of its locations; it currently utilizes the program at 70% of locations.