Earth Day is the perfect time for auto glass shops to consider ways to be more sustainable. Windshield recycling would be a great way to take care of the planet, but some things are easier said than done. For auto glass companies in the United States, windshield recycling is one of those things.
Mark Lacy of Lacy Mobile Glass in Franklin County, Missouri, put it simply.
“It’s like Bigfoot,” he says. “I’ve heard a lot about it but never seen it done.”
Bryan Feuchtinger of Ecostainable Auto Glass would love to recycle windshields. He developed his Denver-based shop specifically with sustainability in mind. He moved to Colorado 30 years ago because he wanted to pursue an environmentally-friendly lifestyle and felt it would be easier in that state.
Bryan Feuchtinger has found other ways to be environmentally friendly. Ecostainable Auto Glass’ vans are all electric.
“That’s how I want to leave my print on society before I die,” Feuchtinger says.
That mission included starting his own auto glass company in 2024. He’d been in the industry for over a decade and felt he could do more for the environment at his shop. Ecostainable’s mobile work vans are electric, and Feuchtinger recycles as much waste from repair and replacement as he can. Despite his best efforts, he has found windshield recycling impractical.
“There is no recycling program in Colorado,” Feuchtinger says. “The only way to do it currently would be to ship the windshields out of state. The closest recycling facility I’ve found is in California.”
The windshield recycling companies Feuchtinger found don’t pick up glass or pay for shops to ship it to them. He’d have to fill a semi-container with windshields to send to the closest facility, which he hasn’t found doable, even with a service fee.
“That’s unfathomable for my company size,” he says.
Feuchtinger says the best solution would be for glass recyclers to build more facilities that process windshields. Having a plant near him would help him fulfill his sustainability goals and do his part for the planet.
This an excerpt of the article “Reduce, Reuse… Recycle?” in the March/April 2025 issue of AGRR magazine. To see other shop owners’ perspectives, including how one owner makes windshield recycling work, turn to page 34 of the issue.
This needs to be done. The amount of windshields in the landfill is sad. The only way to do it would be to have a mandatory disposal fee imposed on the car owners of offset the cost. Much like batteries or tires.