remains a national and worldwide average. Programs for waste glass recycling and beneficial material reuses are designed and implemented uniformly as large-scale operations that are established and maintained by waste management specialists. Their success in recovering glass wastes varies but even with added incentives and major successes in the future, much of the United States will remain unserved by effective container glass recycling programs. Values of this approach will notably occur in small communities with limited access to municipal recycling programs, major glass manufacturers or other industries that process and consume waste glass. This savings results largely from transportation costs of moving this material to a glass container manufacturer or other manufacturer consuming waste glass beneficially.

Small communities may offer a key to developing affective waste glass recycling programs even if that solution is not applicable to large communities. Small communities are of limited geographic area and waste collection might be easily established by those local citizens committed to recycling. Although local collection might be possible, local processing remains an issue due to the lack of commercial equipment suited to small-scale applications. The basis of this entry in the Buckminster Fuller Challenge is a small-scale waste glass processing appliance, the GlassCompactor, originally conceptualized and prototyped to support a glass recycling effort in our neighborhood, a community of 150 residences. The initially constructed device safely and effectively processes glass containers into mixed-size glass particles (cullet). Little local market was found for processed cullet product other than as a landscaping material.

Increasing the usefulness of processed cullet as a raw material depends on incorporating this as a raw material in value-added products utilizing cullet as a primary raw material. This requires the participation of craftspeople and artisans. Several technologies have been developed over the past several years that may offer such value-added products including fused glass tiles, glass/ceramic products, and glass/cement products. Utilizing waste glass as a raw material will require the discarded containers segregated and processed by color and the cullet separated into classes of particle sizes. Small particle sizes will have different potential uses than larger sizes. The sizes and colors can also be combined for specific applications

Adding the capability of particle size classification to the GlassCompactor became an important element in creating a useful raw material. This was accomplished by adding a small multi-screened trommel unit that receives the mixed-size cullet and sorts this product into 7 size classes. The appliance combines a sharding-tumbling function as well as a particle size classifying device. A multi-screened trommel is used as it is small and easily mated with the sharding/polishing unit. The various cullet particle sizes may then be used in a variety of commercial products. The combined device is termed the GlassCompactor II. This appliance will effectively support small commercial operations such as craft shops that may consume several hundreds of pounds of process waste glass per day and produce value-added products. Local sales of these products have the advantage of reducing transportation costs of locally needed building products. If transportation of finished products to other areas is necessary, their increased value may justify those additional costs.

Products investigated in this project include cement or resin-based products, fused glass products, and ceramic/glass products. Conclusions here are that fused glass products will offer the best alternative. These products are fused glass wall and floor tiles, counter and table tops, and paving stones. These are currently marketed and will likely be more accepted in the future. Fused glass products typically are between 98% and 100% glass content, are very durable, and attractive. Technologies behind these innovative products are being rapidly developed and small-scale manufacturer facilities will have a plethora of products capable of filling existing markets.

Small-scale waste glass recovery facilities can and will be shown to occupy a significant niche in glass bottle resources recovery. The GlassCompactor series of appliances is intentionally design to support this potential activity.

The GlassCompactor II is a batch-loading, continuous discharge sharding-tumbling mill combined with a trommel that sorts the processed particulate glass into pre-specified size classes. Important aspects of this appliance are ease and safety of use. The cullet produced is not sharp and can be safely handled. The device also concentrates on creating a safe working environment for attending operators and nearby workers. Emphasis is on eliminating fugitive glass dusts which can be a lung irritant. Therefore the device places strong emphasis on routing and filtering air flows so that fugitive dusts are effectively controlled. This appliance also places strong emphasis on controlling noise in the workspace. This is additionally a very robust device requiring little or no maintenance. Durability and ease of maintenance is a prime consideration in design.

Operational specification and a schematic for the GlassCompactor II are included in the accompanying Figure. An important consideration in this design is the combination of all parts of the device in one cabinet containing cullet processing elements, air filtration units, product collection and storage and noise reduction. Therefore this device may be safely used in a room where people would not notice operational noises or be subjected to other adverse working conditions.

This project, overall, is still in its infancy and completion of a submittal was not possible in 2007 and is at this time incomplete. It is our intention to complete a prototype small-scale waste glass processing facility based on the GlassCompactor II producing fused glass products during mid-2008. The specifics of this facility, once finalized, will be used to complete an application in The Buckminster Fuller Challenge in 2008.