Shattered glass sparkled from the bottom of a 3-foot deep wooden bin as Ryan Haldane, an employee of Aurora Glass, stirred the pile with a shovel to push the shards apart.
Haldane, an University alumnus, oversees production at Aurora Glass, a foundry that melts recycled glass to create decorative and household items to sell. The foundry rolls out its latest creation this week — two designs of a circular University of Oregon hanging ornament in both green and gold colors.
Haldane said he came up with the newest design because of his University alumnus status. “I keep up with what’s going on,” he said. “And, because we’re local, I thought we could make something that would appeal to those connected with the University.”
The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County opened the foundry on West Broadway four years ago as an economic development venture. BRING Recycling contributes most of the glass that Aurora uses for its creations.
“We use all window glass because it has no recycling outlet,” Haldane said. “We started with bottle glass, but found window glass works better for production.”
When Aurora Glass started, its production level was much lower than it is currently, and the company was able to use small amounts of bottle glass to fill its production needs. But after six months, the supply of glass was inadequate, Haldane said.
“There is not a lot of printed material on making items from recycled glass, while there is lots of material on making glass from scratch,” he said. “So I went to the science library at the University and read and read material on chemical composition.”
His research paid off, since the foundry has now increased its production by using almost all window glass for manufacturing. Though it is based in Eugene, the foundry sells products to more than just local residents, said Aurora Marketing Manager Patti Lomont, also an alumnus.
“We have over 400 wholesale accounts,” she said. “The first year, we made $4,000 of product, and today we shipped out $4,000 alone.”
Workers train at Aurora Glass as part of a vocational rehabilitation program through St. Vincent de Paul. The foundry’s profits help to pay for the charities the society operates in Lane County.
“We help people with emergency services and affordable housing,” said Rebecca Larson, the community relations director for St. Vincent de Paul.
Larson said the society helped 45,000 people in Lane County through its programs in 2000. While St. Vincent’s is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, the society exists as a lay organization.
“It means we don’t receive money from the Catholic Church. We welcome anyone from any faith,” she said. “Also, people come to us in need — we don’t proselytize to give them services.”