Interestingly, not too many people have ever visited a landfill. Years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a landfill in Summit County, Colorado. As you might imagine, there were mounds and mounds of old winter sports equipment: skis, snowboards, poles, and boots. Even in the mountains, there were also a truckload of ancient televisions and computers. Those, it turns out, are everywhere. But can design turn those mammoth TVs and massive monitors into something viable? Fireclay Tile sure thinks so. The California-based company has created Crush Recycled Glass Tile using Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) glass.

Tile Made of Cathode Ray Tube Glass from Old TVs and Computer Monitors

An estimated 600 million pounds of CRT exists in California alone, so finding a useful function for the material is vital. Paul Burns, Fireclay's Tile's founder and chief ceramicist, made it his mission to invent a process that could convert CRT (notoriously hard to recycle) into glass tile. Amazingly strong, thick, and shatter-resistant, CRT is now getting a new life as Crush Recycled Glass Tile, which uses 100% post-consumer material.

Available in 40 colors in gloss or matte finishes, Crush Recycled Glass Tile comes in many configurations: field tile, mosaic sheets, rails and accents, and border combinations. From rectangles and circles to triangles and hexagons, Crush Recycled Glass Tile fits any space. The 3 x 3 and 4 x 4 tiles work wonders in the kitchen, especially in bold colors like Poppy, Dandelion, and Blueberry (in gloss, these look like Charms hard candies). In 2 x 6 and 2 x 8, the TV tiles look great in the bathroom. Choose Phosphor, Licorice, or Icicle for sleek contemporary spaces.

For specifying information, find a dealer at www.fireclaytile.com/dealers. To contribute funds for molds, visit Kickstarter.

About the Manufacturer: Fireclay Tile was founded in 1986 in San Jose, California. The company uses sustainable manufacturing processes and incorporates recycled materials into its products. Known for innovation, Fireclay Tile developed leadless glazes, created Volcanite from glazed lava, and invented Debris Tile, which incorporates 25% post-industrial recycled content (granite dust).