In 2020, New Orleans was greeted with a game-changing glass recycling initiative led by a team of three college students. The team of three comprised Franziska Trautmann, Max Steitz, and Max Landy, all of whom are founders of Plant the Peace. As part of their advocacy for a healthier world, they devised a genius recycling program focusing on reusing glass materials sustainably.
The beginning of revolutionary glass recycling
In early 2020, the trio launched the campaign by creating a crowdfunding initiative on GoFundMe. Their advocacy mainly focuses on efforts to make glass recycling efficient and convenient. They proposed their NOLA Glass-to-Sand Recycling Program and sought support to reach their financial targets.
These environmentalists shared that raising around US$9,000 would add more than 20 designated recycling areas within the city. These areas would be where residents could quickly drop off their recyclable glass materials. They also fostered partnerships with local businesses to offer recycling bins.
The trio achieved much during their campaign. It was reported during March of that year that they were able to do the following:
- Raised around US$24,000 from small givers
- Upcycled large plastic containers for storage purposes
- Set up five different collection areas across the town
- Purchased a machine that produces sand out of glass
- Purchased a trailer for transportation
- Kicked off a successful media campaign
- Created a website to spread awareness, called for volunteers, and raised funds
- Connected with the city council to plan for future programs
With their initiative’s success, the team could establish their organization — Glass Half Full.
Glass Half Full
Glass Half Full is an initiative originally started by Plant the Peace in New Orleans and LA. It ultimately blossomed into its entity — from our university backyard crushing glass to a 40,000+ square foot processing facility. Green Disco works to make live events greener. They provide folks with an easy and measurable way to give back to the planet by partnering with event organizers to help them become carbon-negative.
The people behind the initiative
From the start, the trio believed that their initiative made sense. According to Steitz, they discovered early on that “glass is super recyclable and super necessary because it never breaks down or decomposes.”
In addition, Steitz stated: “Our recycling process involves diverting used glass products from landfills and sorting, sifting, and ultimately converting them into sand products ranging from super soft, beach-like sand to glass gravel. The final products are used for coastal restoration projects, disaster relief efforts, eco-construction, new glass products, and much more. The sand applications are truly endless.”
This big idea of theirs had very humble beginnings. Trautmann shared that the initiative’s origin “literally happened over a bottle of wine that comes in the glass.” She shared that when they were in college, they contributed to the pressing problem of having tons of glass bottles in their landfills. It was an urgent problem that they had to deal with locally.
Trautmann further shared that things just clicked during that moment. “Why not us? Why can’t we do something about it? Why can’t we start something to at least make a dent in this problem?”
She also mentioned that they started the initiative knowing they wouldn’t completely solve the problem. “What if we just started with our friends and then maybe grow to our neighborhood and then the city and then the state?” She stated that it has always been their plan to have humble beginnings and then grow from that point.
Think big
A revolutionary recycling campaign started with a bottle of wine shared by some friends. The trio’s initiative shows that significant impacts can start small. As Trautmann mentioned, “and then it grew from there.”
