Today we’d like to introduce you to Malena Gauss.
Hi Malena, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I opened a lighting and glass upcycling showroom in January 2020. One of the most popular products sold outside of refurbished chandeliers were custom bourbon tumblers made from cut Ghost Coast Distillery Bottles. By March 2020, the showroom was closed due to the pandemic. With over 400 cases of glass bottles on hand, I started looking for a place to recycle them. Not one private or municipal company would take them. I was told, “the landfill is the only option” or “there’s no market for glass”.
How could this be? The most infinitely recyclable packaging material on earth (because it is literally made from the earth) and not one option to recycle them? This had to change. I used the stay-at-home order to educate myself on the infrastructure of recycling and develop a solution for this problem. Enter Lammergeier, an old world vulture. By nature, vultures are the waste disposals of the environment and without them, the circle of life would not exist. They salvage expired matter turning it into valuable nutrients for the earth. In operating Savannah’s first and only closed-loop glass waste enterprise, that is precisely what my company is now doing with glass.
Residents and Businesses separate (dual-stream) their used glass packaging into provided collection bins and service routes are strategically organized by location and frequency of pick-up across Chatham County. Upon collection, the glass material is transported to small facilities around town acting as “transfer stations” where the material can be sorted, cleaned, and prepared for transport to my processing facility. When enough tonnage is aggregated. I move the glass to be processed using several different methods based on the need within the market for reuse.
The State of Georgia has the second largest end market for recycled glass use in the production of new bottles, construction material, and even water reclamation. Contrary to popular belief, there IS a market for recycled glass! Whether I crush the material into multiple grades “pebble” to sand, sterilize bottles/jars to supply local makers with glass packaging instead of plastic, or simply aggregate raw glass tonnage for larger processing plants; glass should never be in a landfill.
One woman, one vision for change to offer our local community a solution for recycling their glass.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not! As a one-woman operation with only an SUV, I was not prepared for the unbelievable community support from residents and businesses wanting to recycle their glass. In 16 months, my self-funded company now offers 20 recycle routes per month across Chatham County where I conduct the collection service via my vehicle or a rented flatbed pick-up truck.
In operating a closed-loop system, the demand is certainly there, but as with any burgeoning entrepreneurial venture, I struggle with the ability to scale and still maintain a sustainable business. With waste management being a male-dominated industry, there have been numerous prejudices placed upon my ability to succeed which can sometimes be very disheartening. The City of Savannah recently chose a South Carolina company intending on setting up free drop-off sites for glass recycling. This could potentially be devastating to my local operation and definitely has and will continue to erect some challenges with my multi-pronged operation.
Unfortunately all of the glass collected via this system to SC will be removed from the supply stream Georgia manufacturers so desperately need. Manufacturers have the ability to operate at nearly 90% recycled glass use and are only using about 30%. The glass volume our local Savannahian’s produce each month could easily reduce manufacturers’ need for dredging and the CO2 emissions that are devastating our environment. It’s a setback, but I refuse to let my community or myself down.
Through it, all, residents and businesses have held steadfast in their support of my vision for saving glass from the landfill, and without them, Lammergeier would not exist. Together, we are making a positive impact no matter how large or small, every bit helps. Each and every day I continue to learn, grow and overcome the hurdles placed in front of me for the greater good of the local economy and the environment we all share.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have essentially lived three lives thus far and am grateful for the opportunity to use the skills I have learned over the years to create a business of recycling glass. With a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree, I traveled the world within the corporate sales and marketing industry before landing in Savannah, GA. I began working part-time at a local fine dining restaurant called Alligator Soul and soon after was promoted to GM.
At the time, the owner Ms. Maureen Craig operated the business that she and her late husband created for 20+ years after his passing. I admired and shared her iron-clad work ethic and her value of integrity. I would not be where I am today without accepting the management position with her and while I opted to put my upcycling business on hold, it was well worth the wait. Timing really is everything. After I opened the showroom and only three short months later being shut down, I could have easily given up.
Maureen taught me the importance of staying true to who you are and never letting anything stand in your way of accomplishing your dreams. So while a glass recycling business certainly wasn’t my initial business plan, I took advantage of the time off during the pandemic to invest hundreds of hours in self-educating myself on the recycling industry. From municipal contracts to supply chains to the science behind glass production, I now use this knowledge as power to help inform residents about why recycling is so broken across the country and provide personalized solutions both on a small and collective scale for them to make a difference.
I work closely with companies such as LiteFoot Company, a zero-waste refillery, Brighter Day Natural Foods, a local grocer and advocate for sustainability as well as places such as Starland Yard (just to name a few) where together we can formulate solutions for local recycling that the public sector just aren’t capable of.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Savannah really is its own little universe. There are pockets that satisfy even the most fantastical of interests. From the rich history to the progressive cultural arts scene and one of the most eclectic and eccentric food hubs I have ever come across. It’s a wonderful town full of spirit and spirits and as one of the fastest-growing cities in Georgia, we really are expanding to be a force within the national economy.
The port provides us with access to commodities that inland areas don’t have and as a coastal area, is why focusing my business around environmental sustainability is so important. Not to mention the creation of local livable wage jobs for those from underserved communities. As much as I love this city, it doesn’t come without its pitfalls. The rapid gentrification is absorbing what few affordable housing options are left and decisions made with our tax dollars only seem to be benefitting a certain demographic.
I myself have been priced out of three different rental properties in Downtown Savannah and I’m a college-educated Caucasian woman. It’s not a topic often addressed for longer than a quick publicity measure, but it is a detrimental problem to our local community. Something I aim to fix by providing employment opportunities through my program The O.R.C.L.E. Initiative. (Opportunity for Returning Citizens to Land Employment). As an early-stage start-up, I don’t have the revenue just yet to provide consistent work however, any time I have hired someone on a temporary basis, they have been homeless, or re-entering the community from the legal system.
We as a city need to do better at addressing topics often seen as “taboo” and come together to develop actual solutions for the families that have lived here for generations.
Pricing:
- Savannah–$10/mo.
- Skidaway Island–$11/mo.
- Tybee Island–$12/mo
- See the website for the rest of the route pricing
- Commercial–Based on Volume
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.savannahglassrecycling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lammergeiersav/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAVANNAHGLASSRECYCLING
