How to Make Glass Mulch

Glass bottles can be turned into glass mulch.

Many waste disposal companies and recycling centers around the country give away glass mulch that has already been tumbled for free or for a very low cost. But the palette is limited to the recyclables collected by the city -- such as greens and browns. For a greater variety of color, you can purchase glass mulch at some gardening centers but it's a bit expensive. You can make your own at home, too. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil and protect the soil from erosion.

Things You'll Need

• Colored glass bottles and other glass items
• Safety goggles
• Work gloves
• Towel
• Hammer
• Sand
• Wine barrel

Instructions

1. Place the bottles and other glass items under a towel and put the towel on a concrete surface.

2. Put on safety glasses and work gloves.

3. Hammer the bottles and glass items through the towel until they are in very tiny pieces or as desired.

4. Place the pieces into a wine barrel or other type of barrel.

5. Add a few handfuls of sand and close up the barrel.

6. Find a long hill without any obstructions. Send the barrel down the hill. Do this a few times.

7. Open the barrel to see if the glass has any sharp edges left. Repeat Step 6 as many times as necessary until the edges of the glass pieces are smooth.

8. Remove glass from barrel and use as a mulch.

Tips & Warnings

• You may wish to tumble the glass separately by color so you can create designs and patterns in your garden with the various colored glass mulch.

• You can use a hose to wash away the sand after you tumble the glass or just apply it to the soil with the mulch.

• Find out which plants can tolerate mulch before using it. Some plants can't take the heat it creates. If this is the case, use the mulch sparingly.

References

• Earth 911: A Cool Use for Recycled Glass