The California Resource Recovery Association today named Vetrazzo, the original company to use recycled glass for countertop surfaces, winner of their annual “Outstanding Closing the Loop Commitment” award, reports Business Wire.

Vetrazzo uses recycled glass as an alternative to a granite or other stone. All of the glass used in Vetrazzo is recycled, and it makes up about 85 percent of the final material by weight, according to the company site.

The glass comes from a variety of places:
Curbside recycling programs
Post industrial usage
Windows
Dinnerware
Stemware
Automotive windshields
Stained glass,
Laboratory glass,
Reclaimed glass from building demolition
Decommissioned traffic lights.
Vetrazzo expects to recycle 1600 tons of waste glass in 2008. As many as 1,000 bottles may be used in a single panel.

The many different types of glass make each panel unique. Upon purchase, customers receive a “Certificate of Transformation” that explains the “story,” or origin of the specific glass used in the panel.

The CRRA recognized the “creative and progressive efforts” of Verazzo in using what was once a waste product to create a durable home product. The “Outstanding Closing the Loop Commitment” award is given annually to a business, government agency or organization that has implemented an innovative program or created a product that reduces waste or has a high recycled content.
Use Earth911 to find a location to recycle your glass bottles.