Turning Hawaii’s glass trash into treasure one bottle at a time

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Do you know the transport of glass is dearer than the glass itself? That’s in line with Matt Laundrie who’s serving to to unravel Hawaii’s glass waste one bottle at a time.

Positioned in Kahului, Maui, the 46-year-old entrepreneur is popping Hawaii’s trash into treasure by repurposing glass bottles into lovely glassware.

Laundrie stated the glass would in any other case be destined for the landfill or shipped hundreds of miles away, and that comes at an incredible price.

“That’s once I determined to construct the primary micro glass manufacturing facility on the planet within the State of Hawaii,” Laundrie stated. “Hawaii is a ‘redemption’ state which suggests you get cash for returning it, and there’s solely 12 in the US. Hawaii is a type of 12, and what will we do with our glass?”

He stated most of it’s shipped off island, costing not solely the taxpayers but additionally the atmosphere by emitting hundreds of kilos of carbon into the air from the transport of glass.

Laundrie’s firm Revive Glassworks revives glassware sourced from recycled glass bottles which can be principally composted of wine, beer and liquor bottles from Maui Recycling Providers, which they get from eating places and accommodations on the island.

Utilizing specialised equipment, Revive Glassworks’ course of includes chopping the bottle, sanding it down, flame torching the edges for a clean end after which making it glassware sturdy and dishwasher protected. The glassware then provides the lodge and restaurant business, particular person clients, retail shops, occasions, weddings and different companies. Glassware may also be custom-made to incorporate enterprise logos.

“My mission is to maintain our glass within the state, in Hawaii, and construct a $8 million glass manufacturing facility on Maui which all of the glass within the state might be taken to be processed and turned again in to jars and bottles completely for the meals and beverage business of Hawaii,” Laundrie stated.

In keeping with Laundrie, most meals corporations that use glass prices them 17% of their product price, so if he can present a locally-made glass jar or bottle, any meals/beverage firm in Hawaii would make a revenue between 15% and 18%, and so they wouldn’t have to attend months to get glass off island.

The glass manufacturing facility continues to be within the planning section, and anybody who desires to get entangled can e mail Laundrie at matt@reviveglassworks.com. He’s additionally in search of buyers for this challenge that’s “saving the atmosphere, creating native jobs, saving the taxpayers cash and serving to the meals and beverage business make more cash by not having to pay for transport of their glass.”

Laundrie’s information of glass inside the meals and beverage business comes from expertise.

His journey began with being the proprietor of HI Tide Nation, selling high names within the music and comedy business. For over 18 years, he has promoted over 1,000 headline exhibits, together with massive names like Steve Miller Band, David Crosby, Alice Cooper, Steve Martin, Joe Rogan and lots of extra.

“2019 was one my my greatest years within the live performance promotion enterprise with over 76 exhibits that 12 months. and most of them bought out,” stated Laundrie. “Then COVID hit.”

“All of my exhibits have been postponed,” Laundrie continued. “Then postponed once more, then once more. After about eight months, I spotted that I ought to possibly discover one other profession path.”

That led him to beginning his personal Indonesian type chili paste firm referred to as Shaka Sambal, which Laundrie stated is bought in over 30 grocery shops on Maui and Oahu.

“By way of that have, I spotted that there isn’t a glass producers within the State of Hawaii, and there’s hundreds of corporations having to ship of their glass jars and bottles from the mainland, China, Taiwan and Mexico,” stated Laundrie.

That’s when the thought of repurposing recycled glass got here to him, however he didn’t wish to wait two years for a glass manufacturing facility to be constructed since he had no allow exemption.

“I explored all of the methods we might repurpose the glass bottles earlier than they’re melted down into new jars and bottles for the meals and beverage business of Hawaii,” stated Laundrie. “I discovered there are such a lot of issues you may make from a glass bottle and determined to begin Revive Glassworks as a ‘repurposing’ glass manufacturing facility.”

He calls this the primary section, after which as soon as the larger glass manufacturing facility will get constructed, he’ll be capable to take glass from all of the islands and objective them into glassware merchandise.

Ingesting glasses. Candle holders. Cheese platters. Self-watering planters. Tea gentle lanterns. Attractive vases. The probabilities are infinite in terms of repurposing glass.

“We take a bottle and remodel it into 13 totally different merchandise, and we’re arising with new merchandise each month,” stated Laundrie.

Revive Glassworks presently makes use of industrial tools from Belgium that may produce over 1,000 glassware merchandise per week. In keeping with Laundrie, his glassware is extra sturdy than most glass available on the market as a result of it’s made out of sturdy wine and liquor bottles, then annealed in a kiln.

“Eating places and accommodations have talked about that they don’t should reorder our glass as a lot in comparison with the common drinkware they order that’s extra skinny and fragile,” he stated.

Laundrie stated he presently has over 25 retail places on Maui, and his enterprise continues to broaden.

“We’re getting new accounts each week, and it’s rising quick. With the price of transport issues to the Hawaiian Islands, our glassware might be very aggressive and quicker to obtain over every other glassware shipped abroad to Hawaii,” stated Laundrie.

Since solely beginning a 12 months in the past, Laundrie is simply beginning to make a little bit revenue and is gladly accepting donations from any particular person or firm.

“It’s going to a very good trigger,” he stated, “and our mission is to maintain Hawaii’s glass within the state, present native jobs, to avoid wasting the atmosphere and to avoid wasting tax payers and the meals and beverage corporations thousands and thousands of {dollars}.”