About Us

Glass2Sand

Our Story

When empty glass bottles started to pile up at home, Udit Singhal, then a 16-year-old student in New Delhi asked why?

Udit found that the waste collectors (kabadis) had stopped paying the few rupees per bottle that they did. Collection of glass bottles for recycling had become unviable for them because of dropping demand and because large storage spaces were needed and the transport costs were high. Empty glass bottles were not segregated anymore and started to go for dumping in the landfills.

Scarce landfill space was already a concern for the local municipal bodies. Glass does not decompose for a million years. So, Udit was keen to find a solution. His search ended in New Zealand, with an innovative environmentally friendly technology.

His project was deemed worthy of a special grant from the New Zealand High Commissioner in India, H.E. Mrs Joanna Kempkers.

A New Journey

High-load import related carbon emissions linked to the New Zealand machine troubled Udit. Over recent months, Udit allocated his energies towards fixing this major bottleneck. Thanks to these efforts, Glass2Sand is now powered by an innovative cut-technology based Made-In-India machine.

A new day for Glass2Sand, as Glass2Sand becomes a “carbon negative” initiative.

Existing with a purpose

Glass2Sand aims to address the environmental concerns raised by the non-treatment of waste that was rendered worthless by the new government policy by converting it into a revenue-generating commercially valuable by-product.

And address the exploitation of the rag-pickers by the glass recycling units that allowed the prices to fluctuate and were whimsical in honouring their collection commitments.

With the bottles crushed into fine sand, any possibility of counterfeiting is also “crushed”.

Learn

The Mounting Glass Bottle crisis

High-Grade Silica Sand by-product

The Applications

The sand thus produced is used in construction activity, as lining in furnaces, for roads and other applications. Since the sand will be of the colour of the bottle, there is an opportunity to cater to an aesthetic requirement also. When used in high-end applications, the sand replaces high-value raw materials.

153,090


Bottles stopped from being dumped in Landfills

91,854


Kilograms of High-Grade Silica Sand produced

600,000+


Kilograms of Carbon Emissions saved

903


Collection Volunteers

21


Partner Institutions & Diplomatic Missions

1,250,000+


Website Hits

550,000+

Views
100,000+
Likes

Social Media Engagement

10,000+


Leads followed
Udit Singhal
Our Founder

Udit Singhal

Udit Singhal, a 22-year-old social entrepreneur from India, is the founder of Glass2Sand.

At age 21, he became the youngest member of the Forbes India 30 Under 30 cohort of 2023, in recognition for his work in sustainability with Glass2Sand, lending a solution to a systemic issue that is still unknown to many.

In September 2020, he was appointed by the United Nations as one of the 17 UN Young Leader for the SDGs from around the world (the only one from India) for his contributions to sustainability. Udit is a Speaker at global conferences and strategizes closely with various international organisations for effective youth climate action.

Udit is a sustainability champion who expresses himself through art, codes websites, unwinds on the golf course, and, actively advocates creative synergies.

  • Visit uditsinghal.com
  • Pledge your glass bottles today

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  • The launch of Glass2Sand

    New Zealand High Commission, New Delhi

    The High Commissioner of New Zealand to India, H.E. Joanna Kempkers, launched Glass2Sand at the New Zealand High Commission, New Delhi on the occasion of World Environment Day 2019.