Max Steitz

A 2022 glass sand demonstration in the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.Image: Photo: Glass Half Full/ Franziska Trautmann Graphics: Vicky LetaLouisiana’s shoreline is rapidly eroding due to sea level rise and extreme weather fueled by climate change. But a scrappy New Orleans glass recycling initiative, Glass Half Full, is rounding up as many of the city’s glass bottles as possible to create sand for coastal restoration.The team, a winner of the 2023 Gizmodo Science Fair, got started in 2020, right before…

Image: Images: Glass Half Full NOLA Graphics: Vicky LetaGlass Half Full and Tulane University researchers are winners of the 2023 Gizmodo Science Fair for recycling glass bottles and using them to restore shoreline in Louisiana.The QuestionCan a glass recycling project divert New Orleans’ glass bottles from landfills and turn them into sand for emergency response and shoreline restoration?The Results When their project began in early 2020, the Glass Half Full team had just a small machine that could crush one glass…