December 10, 2023 — Franziska Trautmann and Max Steitz started Glass Half Full, which recycles glass into sand, in the backyard of a college fraternity house in 2020.
To date, the New Orleans-based duo say they’ve diverted more than 6 million pounds of glass from Louisiana landfills, which has been used to make new glass products as well as beach-like sand for coastal restoration and erosion protection.
Backed by the National Science Foundation, Glass Half Full employs 15 people and plans to expand into Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.