I’ve always loved recycled paper countertops and recently noticed ShetkaStone from All Paper Recycling. SketkaStone is made with old paper and can be used in countertops, vanities, sills, and moldings. It will also hold up to use; the manufacturer told me in an email that no other similar product on the market “can match our durability.”
I first noticed NovuStone at 1105 Dwell, a green development in Seattle. NovuStone is a green surface material made with about 75% recycled content, of which 100% can be post-consumer recycled glass. It’s fabricated in Seattle of locally-sourced materials without steam or pressure curing and available in a variety of sizes and colors.
Meld USA, maker of ecoX, recently launched a new surface material called Micro, which is made with up to 74% pre-consumer recycled content in Raleigh, North Carolina. The product, which can help contribute toward several LEED credits, is available in slabs of 30" x 96" x 1.5" or in over-sized custom slabs. Micro can also be custom fabricated into a variety of applications.
These days, there's a nearly endless array of options on the market if you're looking for a stylish, green countertop. Availability varies and transportation costs — in more ways than one — so you might stop by the local green building store to see what's being made locally. You might see some of the products discussed below.
I just noticed this translucent surface material on Inhabitat yesterday, and it looks interesting. Bio-Glass is a Coverings Etc product that the company claims is both 100% recycled and recyclable. Like many other products on the market, this one is made with recycled bottles. However, according to Building Green, the product is made with either pre-consumer or post-consumer recycled content, or mixture of both, depending on the color.
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