FAQ Recycling

Are there re-use/recycling opportunities for my used stone wool?
My local/regional waste management isn’t allowing my facility to put these blocks in any waste stream other than landfill and we have nowhere else to put them or store them. How do I deal with my local waste management not knowing a better way to dispose of the blocks?
What can I do to process it myself?
Do I need to separate out the plastic foil (de-sleeve)?
If I compost or backfill with stone wool, will its degradation into the soil increase my heavy metal content? Does the used stone wool release heavy metals?
What grinder/shredder do you recommend?
Is your plastic foil biodegradable? Why not? What are we supposed to do with thousands of single-use plastic wrappers?
Is Grodan stone wool recyclable?
Does Grodan stone wool consist of recycled materials?
How is stone wool non-hazardous/non-toxic?
Does Grodan actually recycle its stone wool?
How is the stone wool media inert?
How is used stone wool beneficial in composts and other applications?
Where does Grodan offer recycling services?
Our Recycling Performance
Recycling Rate
0

The ratio for how much material we sold to how much product was recycled.

% of Cust. Offered Recycling
0

How many direct Grodan customers are offered recycling solutions for their mineral wool in their local markets.

Walker Environmental

Grodan is proud to work with Walker Environmental to create new recycling markets for Grodan’s rockwool growing medium. Grodan and Walker Environmental have worked together since 2018 to offer growers in the Toronto and Niagara regions turnkey recycling solutions where the Grodan mineral wool is processed (removed all contaminants), treated, and turned into compost. Since 2018, Grodan has overseen over 10,000 tons recycled with Walker and used for new products.

Walker Environmental operates the most advanced aerobic processing facilities within the province. At these sites, the Grodan mineral wool is debagged and then shredded to a particle size that facilitates the compost system. Once properly shredded and processed the granulate is mixed with alternative source separated organics and composted according to Ontario compost quality regulations in Walkers GORE composting system. The composting process is critical to ensure that any plant pathogens present are fully treated by the high temperatures of the composting process.

The resulting product is a high demand potting mix used by floriculturists throughout Ontario.    

Want to Know more: Contact your local account manager to connect you and your waste hauler to begin recycling now!

20200526 GR PHO 5208

01

Re-use

One of the benefits of a rock-based material is its durability. Following proper sanitization procedures will extend the lifecycle for rockwool allowing it to be re-used multiple times. Make sure the stonewool is properly cleaned and sanitized with all roots and organics from the previous harvest removed. Re-use is the most ideal solution for home growers

02

Circular Solutions

What was once old has become new. Grodan re-manufactures used material post-harvest into new blocks and slabs. ROCKWOOL facilities in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Russia are presently offering these circular programs with additional sites in north-western Europe and North America in development.

03

Heavy Clay

Grodan works with several brick manufacturing facilities throughout Europe to re-manufacture used stonewool into clay for bricks. Thousands of tons of stonewool are re-manufactured into bricks every year.

04

Compost

Grodan’s stonewool is an excellent beneficial use amendment and provides many technical benefits to finished compost. Many industrial composting facilities throughout North America and Europe accept stonewool in their inbound feedstock streams, finding new homes for thousands of tons of stonewool every year. If you are unsure if your local compost facility accepts stonewool or would like them to start contact us.

05

Industrial Bedding & Erosion Control

Stonewool’s strong insulating and water holding properties make it an excellent amendment for industrial bedding and topping or to prevent erosion. The stonewool is used as an alternative cover to help prevent noxious odors from effecting local communities. Its also used as a safety measure to fight the spread of diseases and potential fires that could erupt in landfills or mines.

06

Potting Mix

Stonewool can be ground up and mixed in with potting soils to provide many added values including nutrients from the initial growing periods and added porosity & water holding capacity.

GRODAN has an international network of outlets for her recycled substrates. In the EU, we work collaboratively with cultivators to even export the used substrate to neighbouring countries to have the material recycled.

One example of this, is our recycling program in the Netherlands and the UK. After the substrate has been collected and processed, the substrate termed “RSG” is exported to brick manufacturing facilities in the UK.

In the challenging times of COVID, both the recycling and manufacturing industries have been put to the test. These past two years, we have had to address issues including lower production rates from our brick off-takers and logistic shortages in the UK – i.e. truck and shipload capacity is down.

Thankfully, GRODAN has a strong network of suppliers that we collaborate with. It is through this network that we have prevented stockpiling at our outlets – saving thousands of tons of substrate from ending in the landfill.

Til Next Time,

Tom

Earth Day is such a cool holiday, that is so different than any of the holidays marked on our calendars year after year. Its not a celebration, its not a day of remembrance, it’s a commitment. What are you willing to do to make the air you breathe, the food you eat, and the water you drink better for your fellow man. What are you willing to do to ensure that future generations get to enjoy our parks and wildlife.

As the Product Lifecycle Manager for Grodan, this is something that I take to heart. In the next few years, we have made commitments to have stonewool be one of the most recycled materials in the world. This year we have begun new partnerships and programs across the globe that I cannot wait to share with you all.

Our customers are amazing. Your greenhouses provide the freshest (and best tasting) fruits and veggies to our friends all over the globe. Your commitment to meeting the challenge of global nutrition and saving precious water is inspiring.

Thank you for all of your commitments to our planet and help us make stonewool one of the most recycled products on the planet.

To Future Earth Days

Yianni 

A new year has begun! Although we may have taken off for the holiday season our recycling collections have kept rolling as we are smack dab in the middle of our used-substrate collection season.

As you all probably have noticed, COVID 19 has had disastrous effects on the global supply chain. In the waste and recycling industries there have been no exceptions. Initially, it seemed our recycling network may have a capacity shortage due to limited operations these past two years. Storage space, transportation capacities, and material allowance have been a premium.

Together, with our local recycling partners, we have increased material storage space, increased material processing capacity, and doubled outlet capacity so the material can be recycled. These efforts have insured that recycling services continue to run smoothly for our European consumers and insure intake for the rest of the 2021/22 season.    

With this message we want to thank our partners for their unbelievable effort.

Regards

Tom Vitters

Hello All, And welcome to Grodan’s new Recycling Portal! 

My name is Yianni Monahan and I oversee Grodan’s sustainability and recycling initiatives for North America. A bit about me; I have been in the Solid Waste & Recycling industry for over 9 years now. Before my time with Grodan, I ran a young Waste to Energy venture where we developed technologies to process and commoditize low value waste feedstocks. I’ve been with Grodan for 4 years now and love it as it allows me to access my passion for sustainable agriculture.

We here at Grodan are incredibly pumped to bring the Recycling Portal to you. We hope to use this portal to increase communication for Grodan’s present recycling outlets and services and to better understand our customer’s desires and needs for all things recycling and sustainability.

Here we will post and update all on the latest offerings for recycling around the globe. These past few years we have grown Grodan’s recycling rate to 45% globally. In 2021, we have 16 active recycling outlets for our growers with 8 in development.  

Please scroll and use this portal as a tool to address the recycling challenges in your area. Throughout the portal we have a map of present recycling solutions, case studies showing the symbiotic production from some of our outlets, and technical documentation which can be used to share with potential recycling organizations or stakeholders.

Have any un-answered questions? Reach out, we’re always wanting to work with our customers to ensure that our growers are growing most sustainably.

Looking forward to hearing from you all,

Yianni Monahan

Documents

FAQ Recycling

Are there re-use/recycling opportunities for my used stone wool?
My local/regional waste management isn’t allowing my facility to put these blocks in any waste stream other than landfill and we have nowhere else to put them or store them. How do I deal with my local waste management not knowing a better way to dispose of the blocks?
What can I do to process it myself?
Do I need to separate out the plastic foil (de-sleeve)?
If I compost or backfill with stone wool, will its degradation into the soil increase my heavy metal content? Does the used stone wool release heavy metals?
What grinder/shredder do you recommend?
Is your plastic foil biodegradable? Why not? What are we supposed to do with thousands of single-use plastic wrappers?
Is Grodan stone wool recyclable?
Does Grodan stone wool consist of recycled materials?
How is stone wool non-hazardous/non-toxic?
Does Grodan actually recycle its stone wool?
How is the stone wool media inert?
How is used stone wool beneficial in composts and other applications?
Where does Grodan offer recycling services?