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Glass
recycling project
Ways in which
recycled glass is being used
Students
from Bequia Community High School have attacked the growing problem
of broken glass on the playing field, school compound, drains
and beaches, by not only doing cleanups, but by undertaking a
glass recycling programme for which they won the 1997 UNESCO Caribbean
Sea Science and Technology Award and the 1999 Commonwealth Youth
Service Award. They have expanded this project to incorporate
their families and their community. The school is now a drop-off
point for unwanted bottles. The students break these into small
pieces and mix with cement and reinforced steel to produce park
benches for their school yard and community areas. Some of the
benches use logs salvaged from cleared building lots as seats
and backs. The glass is also used to make patio tiles. The environment
is now a safer place as a result of their efforts.
At
the end of 2004 the Sandwatch group of the Bequia Community High
School completed the prototype, of a new broken glass project.
This represents taking the park benches idea one step further.
They are constructing garbage collection bins that are made from
crushed glass and cement. The Bequia Tourism Association asked
them to develop the idea of using garbage to collect garbage.
These bins will be located on some of the popular beaches, where
the hoteliers and restaurant operators will undertake the responsibility
of placing litter bags in them and having the trash taken to the
landfill. This is another first for broken glass.
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