Heavy and bulky, glass is not a popular recycling item, but the Hsinchu County Government has found a creative way to put it into good use. The county’s Environmental Protection Bureau has been turning recycled glass into creative glass inlays such as its Taiwan-shaped “Formosa paperweights.”
The recycled glass comes from car windshields, reinforced glass panels and barium-strontium cathode ray tubes, the bureau said.
Bureau Director-General Huang Shih-han (黃士漢) said the agency collected 5,649 tonnes of glass in 2014 and another 5,476 tonnes in the first 11 months of last year.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
However, most recycling operators are reluctant to work with glass because of its weight, bulk and low market value, creating a dilemma for the bureau, Huang said.
The bureau found a solution with the help of entrepreneur Chiu Ta-chan (邱大展) and the Taiwan Hsinchu Green Industry Alliance.
Chiu came up with several ideas, such as producing glass sand that can be used in the soil of potted plants and the palm-sized paperweights, which are made of reinforced glass.
The paperweights, which have gone through several iterations, also feature other inlays such as the Central Mountain Range, tung blossoms, Hsinchu bamboo and the Formosan landlocked salmon, which are representative of the nation’s history and culture, Chiu said.
Colored recycled glass has also been used to make decorative objects such as lucky pigs and Taiwanese water buffalo, Chiu said.
The glass objects are sold as Hsinchu County Government-approved souvenirs and are ideal for home decoration or gifts, Huang said.
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