GlassBuild America 2025 featured stunning displays of glass products and demonstrations of glass machinery at work. After in-booth demos and breaking down the show, there is a lot of scrap glass that could end up in landfills. In an effort to put some action behind the increased discussions around architectural glass recycling, NGA member company Infinite Recycled Technologies (IRT) stepped up and volunteered to collect all the scrap glass from this year’s GlassBuild for recycling. Many exhibitors participated in the recycling program, delivering their scrap glass to containers provided by IRT.
The initial effort was a success, according to Stanley Yee, VP of sustainability and technical initiatives for IRT, as every pound of glass diverted from landfills is a benefit. "Many thanks to GlassBuild and NGA staff that helped the effort move from idea to realty in lightning speed. Also, thanks to Freeman and the Orange County Convention Center for making the on-the-ground coordination and collaboration seem effortless," he says.
In total, IRT collected 28,640 pounds of glass material for recycling, throughout the three days of the show.
"This is truly an opportunity for us, as an industry, to demonstrate that we walk-the-talk about waste reduction and about recycling one of the very few building materials that is truly infinitely recyclable," says Yee. "The effort, the demonstration, the results show what this industry is about – a part of the solution, not the problem.”
The company is already looking ahead to future recycling initiatives at GlassBuild 2026 in Las Vegas. The IRT team plans to build on the success of this year by fortify coordination with Freeman on process/workflow and enhance communication with exhibitors on opportunity/workflow.
Check out the show floor recycling efforts in the photos and featured in the GlassBuild recap video below.
