Glass Half Full

What Glass Half Full does

Glass Half Full is a New Orleans-based for-profit glass recycling company founded in 2020 by Tulane University seniors, operating the first dedicated glass recycling facility in the city. The company collects glass through a multi-channel service model: a residential subscription pickup service at $20+/month with door-to-door custom crates, commercial pickup contracts with hotels, restaurants, casinos, and government entities, full-service event recycling for festivals and conventions, and 20+ free drop-off hubs across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama operated in partnership with Glassroots.

At its Louisa Street headquarters and a new Chalmette facility under construction, Glass Half Full uses hammer-mill crushers to pulverize collected glass into sand and gravel products sorted by size distribution, which are then sold for coastal restoration, disaster relief, flooring, and new-glass manufacturing applications. The Mardi Gras Bead Recycling Program, operated with the French Quarter Management District and Arc GNO, extends the collection infrastructure to post-Carnival bead waste, while NOLA Alchemy recycled-glass jewelry and branded merchandise provide ancillary e-commerce revenue through glasshalffullproducts.com.

The business model blends recurring subscription revenue, bespoke commercial and event contracts, sales of processed sand and gravel, and community-supported drop-off contributions, with the primary economic engine being volume-based commercial and event recycling fees. The company is privately held, led by co-founder Franziska Trautmann, employs 25+ staff, has recycled over 5.6 million bottles and 7,000+ tons of glass cumulatively, and has raised $6.5 million in a Series 1 led by Benson Capital Partners in August 2024 to fund the Chalmette expansion into the Florida panhandle.

Name

Glass Half Full

Legal name

Glass Half Full

Website

https://glasshalffull.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Glass Half Full operates the first dedicated glass recycling facility in New Orleans, processing residential, commercial, and event glass waste into sand and gravel for coastal restoration across the Gulf South region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Glass Recycling Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211)

akta.pro primary industry

Glass Processing & Beneficiation (Cullet Production) (BPALADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Glass Processing & Beneficiation Facilities (EUAIADAF), Source-Separated Recyclables Collection (Dual/Single-Stream) (EUAIAAAN)

Keywords

• Glass recycling services
• Residential glass pickup
• Commercial glass recycling
• Event glass collection
• Coastal restoration materials

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Residential Pickup Subscription: Monthly subscription service for residential glass recycling with door-to-door pickup. Customers receive custom crates delivered to their doorstep and pay a monthly fee starting at $20 for scheduled pickup services.
2. Commercial Glass Recycling Services: Full-scale commercial glass recycling services for businesses and organizations. Pricing is based on the amount of glass waste generated, with custom quotes provided for each establishment.
3. Event Recycling Services: Full-service glass collection for festivals and special events with bespoke pricing based on event attendance and services requested.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of merchandise including stickers, tees, totes, and hoodies designed by independent artists. Also includes recycled glass jewelry through NOLA Alchemy collaboration.
5. Drop-off Supporter Program: Community support contributions to help cover operational costs of the free recycling drop-off programs, bridging the gap between recyclables value and collection/processing costs.
6. Sand and Gravel Products: Sale of recycled glass sand and gravel products for coastal restoration, disaster relief, flooring, and new glass products through glasshalffullproducts.com.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Glass Half Full collects glass waste from residential, commercial, event, and government sources across the Gulf South through subscription door-to-door pickups, custom commercial contracts, event services, and free drop-off hubs. The company processes the collected glass at its New Orleans facility using hammer-mill crushers and sifting, producing graded sand and gravel sold for coastal restoration, construction, flooring, and new glass manufacturing. Ancillary offerings include Mardi Gras bead collection for Arc GNO, recycled glass sandbags, branded merchandise, and recycled-glass jewelry.

Product overview

Glass Half Full operates a multi-service glass recycling ecosystem serving the Gulf South region. The core offerings include Residential Pickups (subscription door-to-door crate service), Commercial Pickups (business glass recycling), Events Recycling (festival and event glass collection), and Free Recycling Drop-offs (community drop-off hubs). The company processes collected glass into sand and gravel products sold for coastal restoration, construction, and manufacturing applications. Ancillary offerings include a Mardi Gras Bead Recycling Program, NOLA Alchemy recycled glass jewelry, and merchandise. Glassroots, a partner organization, operates drop-off sites and coordinates restoration projects. All services collectively divert glass waste from landfills and convert it into functional materials for environmental and community benefit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Pickups Door-to-door glass recycling subscription service delivering custom Glass Half Full crates to residential addresses, with monthly pickup and exchange of filled crates. Serves Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard parishes, Baton Rouge, Northshore, Coastal Mississippi, Alabama (Birmingham, Mobile), and Hattiesburg, MS; subscription starts at $20/month.
• Commercial Pickups Full-scale glass recycling pickups for businesses and organizations across the Gulf South, with custom pricing based on the volume of glass waste generated. Targets restaurants, offices, hotels, casinos, and other commercial establishments seeking to reduce garbage collection costs and ecological footprint.
• Events Recycling Full-service on-site glass collection for festivals, conventions, weddings, and special events, with bespoke pricing based on attendance and services requested. Featured partners include French Quarter Fest, Buku Project, Tales of the Cocktail, and Satchmo Summer Fest.
• Free Recycling Drop-offs Free glass drop-off hubs across the Gulf South where residents can bring sorted glass for recycling. Operated directly by the company and in partnership with Glassroots (28 drop-off sites in New Orleans and Baton Rouge). Main hub located at 3935 Louisa St., New Orleans.
• Mardi Gras Bead Recycling Program Partnership-based Mardi Gras bead and throws collection program that works with hotels across New Orleans to collect unwanted Mardi Gras beads, which are donated to Arc GNO for sorting, packaging, and resale to provide employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
• Sand & Gravel Products Recycled glass sand and gravel products sold through glasshalffullproducts.com for coastal restoration, disaster relief, flooring, construction, and new glass manufacturing applications. Processed at the New Orleans facility using hammer-mill crushers and size-graded sifting.
• Merchandise Exclusive merchandise including stickers, tees, totes, and hoodies designed by independent artists, sold through glasshalffullproducts.com with proceeds supporting recycling and restoration initiatives.
• NOLA Alchemy Recycled Glass Jewelry Handcrafted recycled glass jewelry produced through an exclusive collaboration between Glass Half Full and local artist Andrew Barrows of Liquid Art Glass, sold under the NOLA Alchemy brand and available through the Glass Half Full store with U.S. shipping.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,597,845+ glass bottles recycled to date
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• French Quarter Management District (FQMD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership with French Quarter Management District to make Mardi Gras more sustainable by collecting unwanted beads and throws from hotels across New Orleans.
• GlassrootscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlassroots is a partner organization that operates 28 drop-off locations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, helping Glass Half Full collect glass. They coordinate service-learning opportunities with K-12 schools and universities, and work on restoration and resilience projects together. Glassroots has helped Glass Half Full recycle over 7,000 tons of glass since fall 2022.
• Arc GNOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArc GNO is a local organization that provides employment opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities by sorting, packaging, and reselling Mardi Gras beads and throws. Glass Half Full collects unwanted beads from hotels and donates them to Arc GNO.
• ReCoastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoastal restoration partner that works with Glass Half Full on coastline restoration projects using native marsh grasses and recycled glass sandbags.
• NOLA Alchemy (Liquid Art Glass)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerExclusive collaboration between Glass Half Full and local artist Andrew Barrows of Liquid Art Glass. Handcrafted jewelry made from 100% recycled glass. Available for pickup at NOLA facility or shipped anywhere in the U.S.
• Common Ground ReliefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization that has worked with Glass Half Full and Glassroots on restoration projects including creating a French drain in their tree nursery and coastline restoration work.
• CRCL (Coastal Conservation Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in coastline restoration efforts using native marsh grasses and recycled glass sandbags, working alongside Glass Half Full, Glassroots, ReCoast, and others.
• CSED (Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in implementing storm drain filters in the Lower Ninth Ward as part of environmental projects to strengthen coastal communities.
• French Quarter FestminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAnnual festival event partner for glass recycling services. Glass Half Full provides on-site glass recycling for the festival.
• Buku ProjectminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent partner for glass recycling services at the Buku festival and events.
• Tales of the CocktailminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured event partner providing glass recycling services for the Tales of the Cocktail festival.
• Satchmo Summer FestminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured event partner for glass recycling services at the Satchmo Summer Fest.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Strategic Materials: Largest glass recycler in North America, operating dozens of MRFs that produce cullet for bottles and abrasives; directly comparable business model at much greater scale, including coastal sand and aggregate products.
• Waste Management Inc. Largest U.S. waste and recycling hauler; comparable on residential and commercial glass collection scale, though as one of many streams within a national hauling platform rather than glass-specialist focus.
• Republic Services: National hauling and recycling platform with curbside glass programs across many markets; comparable as a competitor for residential and commercial glass collection contracts.
• O-I Glass: Largest global glass container manufacturer and the dominant buyer of recycled cullet in North America; comparable on the upstream/downstream glass supply chain and as a potential B2B customer for cullet produced by Glass Half Full.

Direct peers

• Ripple Glass: Kansas City-based glass-only recycler operating drop-off sites and processing into cullet for bottle-to-bottle recycling; closest direct analog to Glass Half Full's community-led glass recycling mission.
• Momentum Recycling: Utah-based glass recycling company with residential curbside subscription-style collection and cullet sales to bottle manufacturers; directly comparable subscription and processing model.

Emerging players

• Glass Recycled Surfaces: Processes recycled glass into architectural surfaces and terrazzo; comparable on the downstream side of converting recovered glass into value-added products for construction.
• TerraCycle: Specialty hard-to-recycle waste company operating recycling programs and drop-offs; relevant comparison for community-partnered, mission-driven niche waste streams beyond standard curbside recycling.

Others

• ReCollect Systems: Software provider for municipal recycling and waste collection route scheduling and drop-off finders; comparable on the operational and customer-engagement infrastructure for specialty recycling services.

Regional players

• Encorp / Atlantic Packaging: Canadian bottle depot and glass recycler; comparable bottle-return depot model with cullet sales, though focused on regulated deposit markets rather than subscription recycling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/glasshalffullnola
• Instagraminstagram.com/glasshalffull.co
• TikToktiktok.com/@glasshalffull.co
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/glass-half-full-nola

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Glass Half Full