Cleaner Landscapes for the Economy, Agriculture, & Nature
Meet the Coalition: Strategic Materials, Inc.

Meet the Coalition: Strategic Materials, Inc.

A gloved hand holds glass broken into small pieces to be recycled.
Glass is endlessly recyclable, including colored glass. Improving recycling infrastructure in Tennessee is essential for improving the circular economy.

Meet the Coalition: Strategic Materials, Inc.

Chances are you’ve used products made possible by Strategic Materials, Inc., (SMI) possibly, without even knowing. SMI is in the business of glass recycling.

You might be wondering, “How does that impact me?” Sure, you put glass in your household recycling, but that’s not just the end of the process for that bottle or jar—it’s also the beginning of a fresh cycle for a new glass product. That is because glass can be endlessly recycled and put back into consumers’ hands.

SMI works throughout North America to recycle glass products and circulate them back into the economy. In 2021, SMI collected and recycled over 2.2 million tons of glass that would have otherwise ended up in landfills across the country. Beyond freeing up land space, glass recycling also reduces the energy and raw materials required to create new glass. 

You could be using recycled glass from SMI every day – in your landscaping or backyard pool, the insulation in your house, the paint on your walls, and even the glass bottles in your fridge. It’s truly incredible how many ways glass can be recycled and put back into circulation as new products.

SMI and Tennessee CLEAN

For Strategic Materials, Inc. (SMI), joining the Tennessee CLEAN Coalition made good business sense as they are a key glass partner in the state. The Tennessee CLEAN Act is focused on finding ways to prevent litter, which involves recovering materials, like glass, that should be recycled instead of trashed. When more materials are recovered within the state, SMI and other companies will have a cleaner, more consistent supply of their recyclable materials. It’s a win-win all around. 

In Tennessee, SMI has one facility that recycles industrial glass, which means most consumer glass has to be transported out of the state for processing and then brought back to be made into new products by Tennessee companies, such as George Dickel. Think of all the broken glass littered around downtown Nashville each week. Now, imagine the impact on Tennessee’s economy if all that glass was collected, processed, and made into new products without ever leaving the state. 

There is tremendous potential for SMI to expand operations within Tennessee, and passing the Tennessee CLEAN Act would be a big step forward in making that happen. It’s time to bring together partners across the state to end litter and improve the economy in Tennessee.