Adding a touch of glass to masonry work |25 April 2013

Learning how to use crushed glass in decorative masonry work

The workshop, which was attended by a number of masonry students from the Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT), professional masons and well-known Seychellois artists Egbert Marday and George Camille, was held in partnership with the SIT and was funded by the Global Environment Fund (Gef).

Crushed glass can be used for decorative applications such as counter tops, benches, gravestones, plant pots, garden furniture and terrazzo floors.
Workshop facilitator Cyril Hall said the demand for decorative crushed glass masonry is huge, especially from hotels, and said it was up to people in the building and art industries to start using the crushed glass material to perfect their techniques and offer it to clients.

According to Michele Martin, environmental education consultant at S4S, glass waste makes up about 5% of the total waste stream in Seychelles, and comes from hotels, restaurants, beverage companies, the construction industry and residential homes. Since early 2011, a small percentage of this glass has been diverted from the landfill to the Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S) glass crushing project.
 
“We first initiated the glass collection and crushing project in 2009 to help address the government’s aim to reduce and re-use waste in Seychelles,” said Ms Martin.
“The glass collected from participating hotels, restaurants and community centres was crushed using a special imploder machine to produce what we call a non-sharp glass ‘cullet’, suitable for use in construction.”

Ms Martin said the project and machinery had now been handed over to the Ministry of Environment and Energy as the S4S project funding had now come to an end, but encouraged any individuals interested in using the crushed glass to make use of it.
 
“We still have a collection point at Star Seychelles at Providence for people wishing to recycle their glass bottles, and the crushed glass cullet can be collected for free, for the time being, from Star Seychelles.”

The second part of the workshop will be held at the SIT on May 3 and will focus on the polishing and finishing of the masonry projects produced by those who took part on the first day.
Anyone wishing to use crushed glass cullet for masonry projects can get in touch with Michele Martin at Sustainability for Seychelles on 4224072.