METAIRIE – Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) visited Glass Half Full in New Orleans. Glass Half Full was started by students at Tulane University to address a lack of glass recycling in New Orleans. They now offer residential and business pick-up, as well as free drop-off at their recycling facility in the Desire neighborhood.
Additionally, Glass Half Full converts the glass they receive into sand, which can then be used to fill sandbags for hurricanes, maintain levees, and rebuild wetlands. Their sand has already been used in two coastal erosion projects, one for the Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe, and another along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge. The research that supports their methods is conducted at Tulane and was recently re-funded by the National Science Foundation.
“Glass Half Full takes 60 tons of glass a month that would otherwise go to landfills, and converts it into sand to help restore our coast,” said Dr. Cassidy. “They’re creating jobs and solving an environmental problem with a market-based solution.”
Cassidy was welcomed by Mr. Max Steitz, Co-Founder and COO of Glass Half Full.
“It’s vital that organizations, businesses and communities that are working to improve our environment receive support from leaders like Senator Cassidy,” said Steitz. “We’re beyond honored to have had the opportunity to share our story and mission with the Senator, and are eager to explore ways that we can collectively make Louisiana a more sustainable place to call home.”
###