Broken Arrow Glass, a recycling center based in Santa Fe that accepts glass donations and also has a doorstep collection service, takes used glass and transforms it into functional art. Owner Shelby Kaye, who holds a bachelor’s in fine art from New York University, said all products are made by hand. After repurposing glass products at home, Kaye got the idea to provide an innovative outlet for recycling in the community.
“When the pandemic hit, we realized you couldn’t even take your glass recycling to a drop-off facility, so everybody was throwing their glass away and just putting it in the trash can,” she said. “So I got this idea … if we can upcycle our own glass recycling that we’re producing, that we’re actually drinking in our house, then maybe we could do this large-scale.”
Broken Arrow Glass turns used glass into drinking glasses and dinnerware, jars, vases, candles, bells, light catchers and even terrazzo. After the home goods are made, the center turns the excess material into sheet glass. It also uses finely crushed glass to create decorative landscaping. The process is complex. An object is first scored and torched to pop off the top. The jagged rim is then grinded before being placed in a kiln. Kaye said they take the object out while it’s hot and fire-polish the lip and return it to the kiln where it’s kneeled. “Everything feels like it was a new-made glass, so it’s really labor intensive,” she said.