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My family and I moved to Chattanooga in early 2021 with 3 young daughters in tow. We were living in Germany at the time, and the weight of the pandemic was bearing down on us. As my wife and I contemplated this next step in life, it was important for us to find a community where we could see ourselves raising our family. With several career-driven moves over the preceding decade (Atlanta to Germany to New Hampshire to Atlanta to Germany again!), we both felt it was time to put down roots.
There was always something that drew my wife and I to Chattanooga. When we lived in Atlanta we would come up to visit for weekends, marveling at the scenery, the friendly people, and importantly the balance that seemed to come from being in a city that’s big enough to satisfy an active life, but not too big to feel overwhelming. When an opportunity to relocate here in early 2021 developed, we jumped at it and haven’t looked back since.
After a couple of years here, I started to ask myself how I could be an even larger contributor to our community fabric. I felt pulled towards a business focused on local sustainability. Through the course of months of research and conversations with community stakeholders, glass was a common thread. You see, our region captures only a small percentage of post-consumer glass (<<10%) within our existing recycling infrastructure. What we do capture is shipped out of state, often costing far more to recycle landfill.
But, our citizens and businesses want better solutions. Over 90% of the nearly 4,000 residents who responded to a 2018 Chattanooga Public Works glass recycling survey expressed a willingness to recycle glass in separate curbside containers. While not included in the survey, restaurants and other businesses have likewise sought more sustainable solutions for the glass they generate
With prior leadership experience in waste & recycling, as well as in materials processing, I felt convicted that I could help solve our challenges around glass.
Overlooked Materials was born.
I sincerely thank you for taking the time to visit Overlooked Materials. Starting this business has been a true labor of love. I look forward to connecting and partnering with you on this journey, and I invite you to join me in recycling your glass and using recycled glass materials.
