by Dawn Quirk
Erosion is a constant issue for many Floridian beaches. In the past, this issue was solved by dredging sand from the ocean floor and piped to shore to replenish the beaches. However, this proved to be very costly (approaching $50 million) mainly because of stricter reef protection laws.
Broward County is looking into using recycled glass to help alleviate their shortage of sand. This process includes crushing glass into tiny grains then mix them with regular sand. “It is only natural, backers of the idea say, because sand is the main ingredient in glass. “There would be many benefits from this project, one of which is turning glass back to its natural state, sand. Another is that it helps “reduce waste stream that goes to our landfills” and “generate materials that could be available for the beaches.”