subject: Recycled Sinks: The Latest and Greatest [print this page] Recycled Sinks: The Latest and Greatest Recycled Sinks: The Latest and Greatest
You've installed energy-efficient lighting in your bathroom to show off your water-saving bathroom faucet. Your eco-friendly showerhead waits patiently to be used, and your dual flush toilet is the marvel of the entire bathroom.
Nothing left in the bathroom to give an environmentally friendly spin, is there? What about the sink?
One of the newest bathroom design trends is installing a recycled sink. So, what exactly are they recycled from? Think copper, concrete, glass, and car tires.
Recycled copper bathroom sinks are beginning to garner a ton of attention-and for good reason, since they're an environmental choice as much as an aesthetic one. They're usually going to be recycled and repurposed from other copper products, melted down, and purified into its original pure elemental state. From there, it's hammered and shaped into a new sink.
Manufacturers like Kohler, Elkay, Native Trails, Premier Copper Products, and Belle Foret are leading the way for recycled copper sinks.
Another recyclable material for sinks is concrete. These already environmentally friendly sinks are becoming more friendly thanks to their manufacturers' ability to reduce the carbon footprint by using around 20 to 40 percent less energy when crafting them. The manufacturers are also mixing in recycled materials like 100 percent post-consumer glass, recycled porcelain, coal fly ash, and organic compounds.
Recycled glass sinks are also becoming more common in upscale bathrooms in homes and businesses. The material seems to be more popular than ever and it's great to see it make its way into the bathroom. Just as you might suspect, these glass sinks are made from recycled glass bottles and industrial glass from car windows and windshields. Speaking of cars...
In a category all its own is abathroom sink called RUBBiSH that's made entirely fromrecycled rubber tires. After the rubber from tires is melted down and purified of debris, the tire's metal fibers that provide road resistance are then formed into a sheet. Then it's stretched over a base frame and anchored down by the drain collar to create the shallow slope for the drain.
