Safelite AutoGlass hits the 4 million mark

Columbus, Ohio-based Safelite AutoGlass, a provider of windshield replacements, reports that it has diverted its 4 millionth windshield from entering a landfill since 2012 through its recycling partnership with Shark Glass Recycling North America.

Safelite Senior Corporate Buyer Deb Tschofen, who oversees the program, explains the challenge in recycling windshields: "Windshields are made from laminated glass, which is created using two sheets of glass with a clear resin interlay called polyvinyl butyral (PVB) between. The PVB keeps the glass together when damaged but also makes it difficult to separate from the glass to repurpose."

Safelite says it approached Denmark-based Shark Solutions, an international leader in recycling postconsumer PVB from windshields, to develop a solution to bring their technology to the United States.

As a result, Shark Glass Recycling North America began operating its first U.S. windshield recycling plant, which is strategically located close to Safelite's East Coast distribution, so as not to increase transportation emissions. The logistics of collecting the old windshields and shipping to the recycling plant were designed to be carbon neutral, using existing freight lanes within the supply chain, Safelite says.

Shark Glass Recycling North America processes glass from Safelite's customers using patented technology that separates the glass from PVB. Approximately 90 percent becomes glass cullet, which can then be recycled into a number of new products, including fiberglass insulation, while approximately 7 percent becomes PVB scrap, which is recycled into useable materials for a number of new products, such as carpet backing, paint and primer and other products. Safelite actually uses rugs made with recycled windshields in many of its locations.

During the second week of October 2015, reports show Safelite reached an important milestone of sending 4 million damaged windshields to be recycled since the program launched in 2012. If placed end to end, these windshields would stretch from Safelite's home office in Columbus to the home office of its parent company, Belron, in London.

Educating employees to package and return damaged windshields has been key to the success of the recycling program, Safelite says. The markets returning the most tonnage are Taunton and Boston, Massachusetts, followed by Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Atlanta.

"We are proud to be one of the few companies with the capability to recycle windshields," says Safelite AutoGlass president and CEO Tom Feeney. "It's just one of the many things on our long list of 'green' business practices that we believe our customers expect from us."

Safelite AutoGlass® has more than 6,500 MobileGlassShops™ and company stores in all 50 states.