Granite Scraps, normally sent to landfill
In keeping with my theme of writing about products made from waste material, I was contacted by a company called Green Stone Granite, based in Guelph, Ontario. Green Stone Granite is a new enterprise that takes leftover granite from building jobs and turns it into new products. Dana Laferriere, my contact at Green Stone explained to me that after counters or flooring or tiles have been made from granite, the off-cuts are usually sent to landfill. According to Green Stone’s estimate, 30-40% of granite is “waste”, as in off-cuts and scrap, and is sent directly to landfill. Green Stone has asked local granite manufacturers (Guelph and surrounding area) to send their scraps to them instead of landfill.
Green Stone Granite’s goal is to become a zero waste facility. Dana said,
We need to get our name out there to educate the public that there are different uses for granite, and now the option for recycled granite. Once we do that and our business grows, we will be able to put the money into achieving a zero waste facility. Currently we are able to re-purpose on average 70% of the granite that comes to our facility. Our goals for the future is to start producing landscaping material with the remainder including aggregate which would bring that to 100%.
Split Stone granite tiles for kitchen
Feature Wall made from split stone granite scrap
Their most popular product is the split stone. It is rough, like any natural stone in its finished form. The split stone has many applications from kitchen backsplashes, fireplace surrounds to outdoor uses such as pavers and for outdoor kitchens. They also create cutting boards/cheese trays and are in the process of developing granite ice cubes (whiskey stones).
Cost: The cost is comparable to a marble or glass backsplash.
Delivery: They are able to deliver the product to the Toronto area, and are currently speaking with eco building stores about carrying it directly in Toronto.
Installation: Installation is similar to installing traditional tile, however the stones are dry stacked so no grout is required. The benefit to our product is every project is unique and there are endless possibilities of colour combinations.
For more information on Green Stone Granite, visit their website.
