| June 27, 2002
News Release Glass recycler Bedrock Industries is the newest partner in King County's LinkUp program. In rich cobalt blues, fiery orange-reds, cool celery greens and luminous whites, the 100 percent recycled glass tiles handmade by Bedrock Industries call out to be touched. For the past nine years, Bedrock Industries, located in Seattle’s Interbay district, has been transforming discarded glass into tile, dinnerware and other specialty items. Last year, the company recycled more than 100,000 pounds of glass. LinkUp was launched two years ago to encourage businesses and manufacturers to incorporate more recycled materials into their products. The program, sponsored by the King County Solid Waste Division, offers free, customized technical and promotional support to eligible businesses throughout the Puget Sound area. In King County, finding markets for recycled glass is considered a high priority. The County hopes to expand markets for this material (commonly recycled at a curbside-level) by encouraging manufacturers to use more recycled glass and by increasing consumer awareness of recycled-glass products. The LinkUp team will help Bedrock test its glass tiles for such performance factors as thermal shock, water absorption, friction, abrasion and strength. The material-testing data will be used in the company’s marketing materials and to qualify their product for use in "green building" residential and commercial construction. Bedrock gets its glass from bottles recycled through curbside collection programs, the company’s own bottle drive and scrap glass salvaged from commercial enterprises, such as window and stained-glass manufacturers. Its distinctive glass tiles, sold under the brand name Blazestone, are available in more than 20 colors, spanning the colors of the rainbow. In addition to Blazestone tiles, the company also makes an array of other earth-friendly glass, gift and garden products, including magnets, coasters and tree ornaments. Glass artist Maria Ruano founded Bedrock in 1993, after establishing an earlier business that produced terrazzo tiles. Her goal was to merge her interest in tile-making with her passion for the environment. It took more than two years to perfect the process that would allow her to transform discarded glass into beautiful, lustrous tiles. When bottles come into Bedrock Industries, they are sorted into piles of like-colored glass and then crushed into tiny pieces. The glass is then put into molds and heated in kilns to make tiles, wind chimes and other products. Bedrock supplies tiles and decorative glass items to stores throughout the country. The tiles are typically used for floors, countertops, mosaics and exterior walls and in areas surrounding pools and hot tubs. The Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center, scheduled to open this fall on Bainbridge Island, is using Bedrock tile in its common room and in two bathrooms. The company also recycles materials other than glass. The copper wire used to bundle Bedrock coasters comes from construction sites, and cardboard six-pack containers are reused to hold glassware created from recycled beverage bottles. Bedrock Industries joins the following Puget Sound businesses in the LinkUp program:
LinkUp works with an average of six new businesses each year. For more information about the LinkUp program, contact Erv Sandlin on (206) 296-0233 or visit http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/linkup/.
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