Tile Maker Uses Porcelain from Old Sinks, Toilets

San Jose, CA, Oct. 1, 2010--San Jose's Fireclay Tile is using porcelain from old sinks, toilets and bathtubs to produce a line of ceramic tiles, according to a story in the San Jose Mercury News.

Later this month, the company is scheduled to take delivery of 150 tons of porcelain from a nearby landfill.

The porcelain will be crushed to dust and transformed into tiles.

It took 12 months to collect the 15 debris containers of porcelain, and it comes on the heels of a similar shipment from a San Francisco transfer station.

The porcelain will be mixed with other materials and scorched in an 1,800-degree kiln to create the company's Debris Series Tile. The new tile will have 70% recycled materials and may be the only tile in the industry made from post-consumer waste.