In 2024, New York began a $21.2 million bridge replacement project using recycled glass concrete; The pilot is expected to divert 106 tons of glass and avoid more than 72 tons of CO2 emissions.

As the world faces rising waste and carbon emissions, a bridge project in New York offers an unusual example of how something destined for a landfill can be given a second life. In June 2024, construction began on a $21.2 million project in the village of Whitney Point, where New York is replacing an old bridge over the Tioughnioga River and incorporating recycled glass into the concrete used for parts of the new infrastructure. The pilot project is expected to divert 106 tonnes of waste glass from local landfills and prevent more than 72 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.The project is part of a broader push towards a circular economy, where materials traditionally treated as waste are recovered and reused rather than discarded.

Turn used glass into an alternative to cement

The idea behind the project comes from KLAW Industries, a New York-based company founded in 2019 by Binghamton University engineering students Jacob Kumpon and Jack Lamuraglia. The founders saw two problems that could potentially be addressed together: the enormous amount of glass entering the US waste stream and the carbon-intensive nature of cement production.The United States produces approximately 12 million tons of glass each year. Of that amount, only about 3 million tons are recycled, leaving approximately 9 million tons of waste glass ending up in landfills each year. KLAW developed a technology that converts post-consumer glass into a fine powder that can partially replace conventional cement in concrete. The resulting material, called Pantheon, is designed to reduce the amount of cement needed while maintaining or improving the strength of the concrete.Instead of simply grinding glass and mixing it with concrete, KLAW’s patented process removes unwanted materials from used glass before producing Pantheon. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the resulting material reacts with the cement and creates additional crystalline structures within the concrete, helping to strengthen it. The approach addresses two waste problems at once. It gives another use to waste glass and at the same time reduces the amount of cement needed in concrete.

From a university idea to a state infrastructure project

Kumpon and Lamuraglia began developing the technology after recognizing the potential of combining recycled materials with low-carbon construction. KLAW subsequently received support through EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research program. Its first Phase I award was $100,000 and was used to establish a proof of concept for a project titled “Prototyping a Process to Reuse Waste Glass into High-Performance, Low-Carbon Concrete.”“The company worked with Binghamton-based concrete producer Barney & Dickenson to test and demonstrate the technology. Following initial research, KLAW received a Phase II award to further test and promote its cement alternative.The technology later attracted attention in Binghamton, where Pantheon was adopted for municipal projects. After several successful local applications, the New York State Department of Transportation approached KLAW for a much larger project at Whitney Point.The U.S. Route 11 bridge project became a major milestone for the company. According to the EPA, it is KLAW’s largest project at a single location and its first state-sponsored project.

77-year-old bridge gets greener replacement

The project replaces the existing U.S. Route 11 bridge over the Tioughnioga River, a three-span steel structure built in 1947. The bridge has been an important transportation link for the community, connecting people to businesses, recreational areas and community facilities. The route also provides access to Interstate 81 and state routes 26, 79 and 206. More than 11,000 vehicles travel through the project area on an average day.But the old structure was nearing the end of its useful life and was also on New York State’s High Risk Flood Watch List. That designation meant it required round-the-clock monitoring whenever water levels reached a predetermined elevation.The replacement will use a multi-girder design intended to be less vulnerable to flooding. Once completed, the new structure is expected to be removed from the state’s High Risk Flood Watch List.The $21.2 million project includes more than just the bridge. It also includes 1.5 miles of new ADA-compliant sidewalks along both sides of U.S. Route 11, extending from Main Street to Keibel Road. New crosswalks are also being installed near Whitney Point High School and the Broome County Fairgrounds. Pantheon is being incorporated into the concrete used for sidewalks, curbs and barriers on the new bridge, as well as new sidewalks across the US. Route 11.

Why recycled glass is important

The construction industry is one of the greatest opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of materials. Cement, a key ingredient in concrete, is particularly carbon intensive.By allowing concrete producers to use less cement, Pantheon can reduce emissions without adding additional costs, according to the EPA. At the same time, the process creates a market for post-consumer glass that might otherwise end up buried in landfills.The Whitney Point project also comes as New York moves to implement its Clean Concrete Purchasing Guidelines, announced in 2023, which encourage low-carbon concrete and consideration of emissions associated with construction materials.For KLAW, the project represents more than an experiment with recycled materials. The company’s chief operating officer, Jacob Kumpon, described it as a turning point that marked the transition of the business out of its startup phase. For New York, it’s an opportunity to test whether waste-derived materials can become part of everyday public infrastructure.

From landfill waste to public infrastructure

The importance of the project lies in its simplicity: the glass that could have remained as waste is transformed into a material that becomes part of a bridge, sidewalks and other infrastructure.The 106 tons of glass diverted by the project may be modest compared to the millions of tons discarded in the United States each year. But the pilot demonstrates how a material considered waste can return to the production cycle.The new bridge is also being designed with resilience in mind, combining infrastructure improvements with an attempt to reduce the environmental footprint of construction. Work is expected to continue through the end of 2026. During construction, a temporary bridge was built next to the existing structure to accommodate pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle traffic in both directions.