Philadelphia nonprofit Bottle Underground salvages bottles and jars from local businesses and residents, then sorts them for reuse, upcycling, or conversion into glass sand instead of sending them to landfill. Its community-based glass program keeps material in circulation locally while partnering with workforce-development organizations to create sustainable jobs and support people transitioning out of the justice system. The organization diverts more than 10,000 bottles from the waste stream each month and supplies reused containers to Philadelphia makers.
Remark GlassSince 2016, Philadelphia-based Remark Glass has handblown small-batch home accessories from post-consumer bottle glass, turning discarded local bottles into pieces such as drinking glasses and custom lighting. Working from the Bok Building alongside its sister nonprofit, Bottle Underground, the studio developed glassblowing techniques specifically for recycled material and has diverted more than 420,000 pounds of glass from landfill. Remark Glass is Philadelphia’s first zero-waste certified business, with silver status for diverting at least 70% of its processed material from landfill.PHILADELPHIA, PA
Welly BottleWelly Bottle makes design-focused reusable bottles and drinkware, pairing insulated stainless steel with natural bamboo to replace single-use plastics. Based in Pittsburgh, the company gives at least 1% of every sale to clean-water projects worldwide, making its “bottle to well” mission part of the product itself.PITTSBURGH, PA
Riverside Design GroupFounded in 1996, Pittsburgh-based Riverside Design Group develops and sells handcrafted glass tableware and specialty products, working with small production studios. The company says it is passionate about American-made manufacturing and uses recyclable materials, including recycled glass; its Plates With Purpose line raises funds for nonprofit organizations.MCKEESPORT, PA
Bradish Glass, IncBradish Glass, Inc. is a recycling service that specializes in recycling various types of glass. They accept and process many types of glass, producing clean, 100% recycled cullet according to manufacturers' exact specifications.GREENSBURG, PA