Bay Roberts co-operative receives grant for glass aggregate project
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Olivia Bradbury
NewfoundSAND, a Bay Roberts based organization that strives to reduce glass waste, was recently awarded a $10,000 Community Grants from the Atlantic Edge Credit Union (AECU).
The organization began as an idea on co-founder and board director Dave Saunders’ couch in 2021. Today, it has a board of nine individuals, and even more members. While their headquarters is in Bay Roberts, they have recently secured a location in the metro area.
Saunders describes NewfoundSAND as community-owned and community-led.
“We’re an organization that was founded and created basically out of sheer frustration that we were told glass could not be recycled in Newfoundland and Labrador despite it being recycled in every other province in Canada,” said Dave Saunders. The organization takes glass destined for landfills and turns it into sand—glass aggregate—with machinery.
Saunders said that household glass makes up less than two percent of the waste in NL landfills, but this still equates to thousands of tons. Furthermore, glass does not break down, and thus will stay in landfills for thousands of years. NewfoundSAND turns glass into an aggregate which can be used to make new products.
At present, NewfoundSAND has a small piece of equipment that is hand-fed glass, which it then turns into sand. The organization has a contract with a local concrete company, and are planning to turn glass aggregate into concrete benches, planters, and coasters. They hope to eventually expand this to include countertops, terrazzo flooring, and other innovative products. They are also engaged with the Great Coastal Trail Authority on the west coast to use glass aggregate in the trail system that will be running from St. Anthony to Port aux Basques.
Saunders said that NewfoundSAND has received much support from various businesses.
“The business community is actually screaming out to us for a solution to this,” said Saunders. “Restaurants go through broken glass that they just have to throw to the landfill. We know companies are shipping this to landfills because there’s no other alternatives.”
The organization has community sponsors such as Steel Honda and the Eastern Regional Service Board, and has received a great deal of support from co-operators.
“The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Co-operatives are constantly, constantly lobbying for us, supporting us, sending different opportunities our way,” Saunders said.
While many people want a solution to the glass waste problem, and support NewfoundSAND’s initiative, the organization’s biggest challenge is funding.
“We’re at a point now where we’ve proven our concept,” said Saunders. “We’ve proven we can take glass. We have MOUs in place. We have industry partners that are ready to innovate in the space. We just need largely equipment that is not hand-fed.”
NewfoundSAND has been publicly supported by members of government such as MHAs Helen Conway-Ottenheimer and Pam Parsons. However, Saunders says there are still some walls to be broken down. “We get that vocal support, but there’s a disconnect somewhere within the system that is really preventing us,” he said. “But it’s also, again, why this grant funding for community organizations like ours is so significant. This type of grant funding we can use to leverage for other types of funds.
Charlotte Taylor of AECU said that the organization’s decorative aggregate initiative was exceptional.
“Their co-operative’s work is already making an incredible impact in advancing glass recycling in Newfoundland and Labrador, and this next phase, focused on research and development to transform recycled glass into architectural materials, demonstrates both innovation and strong future potential,” she said.
Taylor went on to say the project strongly aligned with AECU’s Environmental Sustainability and Co-operative Development categories.
“It reflects a thoughtful approach to reducing waste, creating value from recycled materials, and contributing to the growth of the co-operative movement in the province,” said Taylor. “We’re excited to support the important work they’re doing and to see how this initiative continues to evolve.”
NewfoundSAND holds collection events for glass waste in the metro area, most of them at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market. At these events they usually collect a metric ton of glass within two to three hours. Their next collection event will take place at the Farmer’s Market on June 20th. In the near future, NewfoundSAND plans to bring their piece of equipment on a tour to rural communities for processing events.
Those interested in supporting NewfoundSAND can go to www.newfoundsand.ca. Both businesses and individuals can become members of the co-operative. Saunders hopes to offer more for business members in the future. For individual members, it’s a one-time payment of $50 for a share.
“And what that is, is you actually own the cooperative as much as what I do or any member on the board, which gives you full voting rights and that kind of thing,” said Saunders. “That’s why when we say community-owned, we literally mean community-owned.
Other AECU community grant recipients included the NL Eats Community Outreach in St. Johns, The Gander Boys and Girls Club, the St. Anthony Basin Resources Inc., and Intervale Associates of St. George’s.