What Can Be Made from Recycled Glass?
Unlike plastics, container glass retains 100% of its manufacturing usefulness when recycled. Ripple recycles glass into an intermediate material called cullet, for which a healthy market exists right in our own backyard.
Your glass containers help our regional partners make eco-friendly fiberglass insulation, brand-new beverage bottles, high-performance countertops and flooring, and innovative industrial solutions.
Where Does The Glass Go?
Recycling is defined as the action or process of converting waste into reusable material — and at Ripple Glass, we’re doing just that! All of the glass is processed at our facility to ensure it is ready to be sent to our end-users. We found a local customer that converts the recycled glass into fiberglass insulation, saving enormous amounts of energy and dramatically lowering emissions, and a business in Tulsa that turns amber glass back into bottles, including those used by Boulevard!
Here are just a few products that comprise the second life of recycled glass from Ripple:
Two Primary Closed-Loop End Markets
At Ripple Glass, we specialize in giving every glass container a vital second life through two essential regional manufacturing partnerships.
1. Eco-Friendly Fiberglass Insulation
Owens Corning — Kansas City Manufacturing Plant
Amber, green, and mixed-colored glass cullet is transported directly to Owens Corning's world-class manufacturing facility in Kansas City. There, the cullet is melted down and spun into millions of microscopic glass fibers to produce high-performance PINK Next Gen™ Fiberglas™ thermal insulation.
- Thermal Efficiency: Regulates indoor temperatures to reduce residential and commercial heating and cooling energy by up to 30%.
- Versatile Building Envelope: Adapts seamlessly to residential attics, exterior walls, and basements across North America.
- Acoustic Absorption: Superior sound dampening between interior rooms, creating quieter, more comfortable homes and offices.
2. Brand-New Glass Bottles & Jars
Regional Container Manufacturers — Tulsa & The Midwest
Our advanced optical sorting cameras isolate flint (clear) and amber glass into pristine, high-purity streams. This clean cullet is shipped directly to regional container plants — including our partner glass plant in Tulsa — where it is melted back down and molded into brand-new bottles used by Boulevard Brewing Co. and leading food and beverage makers!
- Energy Savings: Incorporating cullet lowers kiln melting temperatures, reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
- Conserves Virgin Resources: Replaces mined sand, limestone, and soda ash, keeping natural habitats intact.
- Infinite Recyclability: Glass can be endlessly melted and reformed without ever losing its strength, clarity, or food safety.
Elevate Spaces with Recycled Glass Countertops
Sustainable living and modern kitchen design meet in recycled glass surfaces. Crafted by blending finely crushed cullet into durable resin or concrete matrices, these countertops transform discarded bottles into captivating mosaic centerpieces.
As a branch of Strategic Materials, Inc. (SMI) — Ripple Glass’s parent company — American Specialty Glass (ASG) is the leading supplier of high-purity glass aggregate to premium countertop manufacturers including Vetrazzo, IceStone, and Curava.
What to Look for in Recycled Glass Countertops:
Creative, Industrial & Environmental Uses
Beyond containers and fiberglass insulation, recycled glass finds exciting and practical applications across sustainable landscaping, municipal water treatment, and infrastructure.
Decorative Tiles & Mosaics
From shimmering mosaic wall patterns to commercial terrazzo flooring, repurposed glass delivers rich color, light reflection, and durable performance under heavy foot traffic.
Eco-Friendly Glass Mulch
Tumbled, rounded glass mulch adds vibrant garden color while retaining soil moisture, reflecting sunlight, suppressing weeds, and never decomposing, fading, or attracting pests.
Water Filtration Media
Processed glass cullet is an effective eco-replacement for silica sand in municipal water treatment and swimming pools, trapping smaller particles and reducing backwash water consumption.
Abrasives & Concrete
Free of crystalline silica and heavy metals, crushed glass provides a safe abrasive blasting media for surface prep, and serves as an aggregate replacement in high-strength concrete.
