How to Recycle Fiberglass

Fiberglass as we know it has been around since the early 1930s. It is a highly versatile product that can be made with virgin or recycled glass. Uses abound; you will find it in everything from home insulation to cars, surfboards and sporting equipment. In the 80 years since Fiberglass was invented, however, only one company has come up with a way to recycle it. Unfortunately, its services are not very widespread, so what are the rest of us to do? In most cases, the answer is probably put it in the trash.

What is Fiberglass?

Fiberglass is just what it sounds like: a material made of thin glass fibers woven together. It is made up of silica, sand and other naturally occurring materials typically found in glass. There are several different types of Fiberglass, all of which are made with slightly different machinery. Each of those machines have one thing in common, though: They take molten glass and spin it into the material we use in our homes and businesses. One of the main uses for Fiberglass is building insulation (although Fiberglass "wool" can also be used to line submarine bulkheads, the engine compartments in cars and air conditioners). Fiberglass that is harder and resembles plastic can be used for boats, sports helmets, storage buildings and many other products. Surfboard manufacturers often combine a Fiberglass "cloth" with a resin to make their boards.

Benefits and disadvantages of Fiberglass

There are plenty of benefits to using Fiberglass. The material is very strong, lightweight and relatively inexpensive. It is not made of petrochemicals (like plastic) and will not corrode, even when exposed to saltwater (like metal). Fiberglass insulation is water and fire resistant, good at absorbing sound and excellent at keeping your house cozy and warm. Then there are the downsides. Most types of Fiberglass insulation contain formaldehyde, an extremely toxic chemical (although it is possible to get formaldehyde-free products from manufacturers like Johns Manville, or JM). If that insulation winds up in a landfill the formaldehyde will leak out over time. Fiberglass must be handled carefully — all those tiny strands of glass can cause cuts and rashes. If you have to cut Fiberglass batts or use blown-in insulation, and you inhale those tiny glass particles on accident, they can cause health problems. It is very important to use proper safety equipment when working with Fiberglass, including gloves, long shirts and pants, goggles and a respirator.

How to recycle Fiberglass

The glass fiber recycling process achieves efficient regeneration through multi-stage mechanical processing: large-sized waste is roughly crushed by shearing equipment and then enters the composite crushing system for refinement and preliminary separation of impurities; Subsequently, intelligent screening and air separation technologies were used to perform multi-stage particle sorting, improving fiber purity; The graded materials undergo deep cleaning to remove surface contaminants, and ultimately ensure finished product quality through automated quality control. The process integrates pre-processing, crushing, sorting, and purification modules, matched with online monitoring and environmental protection treatment systems, which can flexibly adapt to different production capacity requirements, produce high-quality recycled glass fiber raw materials, and directly use them for composite material remanufacturing, achieving efficient resource recycling and green production.

Substitutes for Fiberglass insulation

There are plenty of alternatives to Fiberglass insulation that contain nearly 100% recycled material. They are also easier to work with and do not contain formaldehyde. Your ratty old denim jeans can be turned into insulation. 

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