Tegan Leong

Professor Cogdell

DES 040A A06

1 June 2024

The Modern Disco Ball and its Raw Materials

Disco balls have long been a source of entertainment whose origins aren’t questioned. Their popularity rose with the flurry of the seventies and Saturday Night Fever, yet only a few companies remain today that specialize in their creation. At Louisville’s Omega National Products, Yolanda Baker, who has worked there for over 48 years, often walks small news articles through her process—outsourcing aluminum shells from Illinois, scoring sheets of mirrors to strips of heavy-duty cloth, then laboriously attaching each to the ball one strip at a time (Whas11). Although Yolanda’s work is famous, the rise of Do-It-Yourself consumerism is what sustains the desire for and production of disco balls. The raw materials necessary for the styrofoam base and mirror chips, along with the vast amount of possible customization, render the life cycle of the modern disco ball unsustainable.

To begin, the raw materials must be sourced from somewhere within the Earth. For mirror chips, this material acquisition starts with an entire un-cut mirror pane; mirrors require tin as a binding agent, silver or aluminum for reflection, copper for protection, and either glass or acrylic plastic as the main base (Mirror Shop). Although disco balls began with glass mirrors, they slowly converted to using plastic for safety and cost. Tin is found in placer deposits, of which half are found in South East Asia (usgs.gov). Tin, one of the earliest known and used metals, is relatively scarce, with around two parts per million found in the Earth’s upper crust. The oxide is contained in Cassiterite ore, further found inside Alluvium (Australia). Mining methods primarily include bucket-dredging, drilling and blasting if found in veins, and gravel pumping if found in smaller deposits. South-East Asia utilizes the latter, where rough bedrock is broken up by high-pressure water jets and the slurry is pumped to another concentration plant. Silver and aluminum are used interchangeably for their reflective properties, but according to KOVANN, the leading mirror manufacturer in Malaysia, silver is of higher quality yet more expensive; evaporated aluminum is cheaper and more commonly found and used, so that will be the focus (Chai). Aluminum is mined primarily in China and Australia through three main stages: mining, refining, and smelting (Australia). It comes from bauxite ore, which is unearthed through a surface method called open-cut mining. The topsoil is removed by bulldozers and scrapers, stored, and used for revegetating the land after the mining process is completed. The bauxite is then put into a digester, where it is refined with pressure and caustic soda through the Bayer’s Process (HARBOR); this states that every two pounds of alumina produce one pound of aluminum. Copper is found in North, South, and Central America, with 15 of the world’s 20 largest copper mines located there (Venditti). Chile, Peru, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and China dominate the market. In regards to the option of using glass, the primary materials include sand, soda ash, and lime (youtube). Contrary to popular belief, however, the sand mining industry is becoming increasingly volatile due to being one of the most commonly mined materials and increasing housing pressures (Hernandez). Only certain grains can be optimally used, with hotspots for this size being in Vietnam, India, and Pakistan. Acrylic plastic is completely synthesized from crude oil, which is distilled so its hydrocarbons can be converted into chemicals (British Plastics Federation). This can be further touched upon with the production of styrofoam, which is also primarily born from crude oil. Large styrofoam balls serve as the most common disco ball base, as opposed to the traditional aluminum shell used by companies like Louisville’s Omega National Products. Also known as EPS, styrofoam is produced en masse for packaging, insulation, fill, and upholstery, even found underneath roads (Chandra et al.). It’s composed of 98% air and 2% thin polystyrene, which begins as crude oil sourced from Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Brazil (U.S. Energy Information Administration). This is found in underground reserves or tar pits that have bubbled to the surface and extracted with giant drilling machines, vacuuming the remaining 90% out through secondary. The three main types are Brent Crude, West Texas Intermediate, and Dubai and Oman, whose exports provide to Europe, North America, and Asia respectively (National Geographic). The crude oil trend continues through DIY disco balls’ potential form of adhesives, the most common ones being sticker strips and hot glue application. Sticker backing, also known as elastomeric adhesives, is made of natural, butyl, styrene butyl, butadiene, neoprene, and nitrile (adhesviesandcoatings). Of these options, all are synthesized chemically via petroleum or crude oil besides natural rubber; naturally, rubber is native to the Amazon basin but is primarily grown in Asia, including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia (Statista). Similarly, hot glue sticks are composed of ethylene-vinyl acetate, polyesters, polyethylene, polyamide, and polyolefin, all of which are produced from crude oil (gluegunsdirect). These materials then move onto the second stage: processing and manufacturing.

Because metals like aluminum must come in a specialized state in mirror production, more raw materials come into play beyond the acquisition stage. To use aluminum as an example, silver and aluminum are applied to the glass or acrylic surface by deposition, also known as silvering. This means that it must be in liquid form to be sprayed in sheets evenly upon the receiving surface. Aluminum can be silvered through an Electron-Beam Evaporation Process (Korvus Technology). E-beaming requires a substrate and electron beam laser, allowing for better control over aluminum’s pressure, density, and deposition rate. To cut the mirror into shapes—like small squares for disco balls—mirror manufacturers commonly use carbide tools, created from the cementation of tungsten carbide and cobalt at high temperatures of 1400 degrees Celsius (Mitsubishi Materials Corporation). Comparable with the high ratios of alumina to aluminum, the high heat results in a large volume decrease of carbide, meaning that more raw materials are necessary compared to output. Carbide tungsten is primarily mined in China, Vietnam, and Russia (investingnews). However, a diamond point paired with elliptical vibrations has become the superior form of mirror finishing (Song et al.). It reduces abrasive resistance, as the cutting process is usually hindered by microchipping. By using a diamond tip instead of carbide, tool wear is significantly reduced, resulting in a more efficient process and streamlined overall workflow. In the industry, this is commonly known as UPC, Ultra Precision Cutting, of which synthetic diamond production is headed by Japanese A.L.M.T Corporation (Obata). This has become a much more accessible market with unnatural synthesization, as natural forming diamonds take thousands of years for carbon to compress at deep magma levels. Instead, companies like A.L.M.T use the high pressure high-temperature technique, processing graphite through anvils and oil-filled barrels (Butcher). To continue with the production process of styrofoam, the crude oil-based polystyrene begins as small spherical beads, heated and expanded with steam (Chandra et al.). The steam vessels hold between 50 and 500 gallons of steam, lowering the bead density to a third. The foam is then cut with sharp wooden tools, bonded to water-based, phenolic, and epoxy adhesives, and coated in epoxy paint to reduce natural flammability. Epoxy and paint continue to be primarily petroleum-based. The ratio of natural materials to crude oil chemicals continues to decrease.

Last in the life cycle is the distribution of materials, re-use, recycling, and waste management. The distribution mainly comes in the form of transportation. Glass and mirrors are fragile objects, so the protection and beveling of sharp edges require more material (toughglaze). Corners are often softened with masking tape, another form of adhesive, and covered in cardboard, more EPS packing foam, and plastic. In transit, the sheets are either loaded on a stillage—a cross between a pallet and a cage—or standardized bracing. Cardboard’s raw materials consist of softwood, like pines and firs, for their longer and heartier fibers that uphold the corrugation (Daggar). Pulp mills convert the timber and wood chips to pulp, which means this area is very recyclable. However, the more repeated the recycling, the less structure the resulting cardboard is able to maintain. Referring back to the raw metals in mirror production, aluminum is commonly transported by one of three options: truck for short-distance, rails for cost-effectiveness, and ship for specialized bulk packaging. Again, they all take forms of petroleum for gas, sourced from crude oil. In terms of recycling and re-use, mirrors can technically be re-silvered by removing the back and adding a fresh, chemical coat of silver. Silver can also technically be recycled, with 60% of silver in the market coming from the electrorefinement of old, melted jewelry (James). However, this would be done on larger bathroom mirrors rather than ones cut into small squares. Along the same lines, styrofoam is labeled as recycling number six but is often not recycled due to its lightweight nature and cost (Chandra et al.). The market is small and shrinking with some mail-back options, but that would require more transportation raw materials than the outcome might be worth. Overall, because of their bonded treatment and different melting points, disco ball materials cannot be recycled both by themselves and after they’re constructed. All of it ends up in the same generalized landfill, which means there are no extra raw materials inputted into the rest of the life cycle.

Although there are points within the disco ball’s manufacturing process that are more sustainable, the overall sources of chemicals synthesized from crude oil outweigh the small technological advancements. Even if it’s possible to reuse and recycle each individual material, the disco ball proves to be an inseparable combination of some of the most environmentally inefficient markets. This isn’t even touching upon the points of customization, such as built LEDs, microphones, and fog machines, outside sources of light, color filters, ceiling fixtures, remote controls, and motors, which are heavily composed of more plastics, metals, and circuitry. As an unnecessary form of entertainment, the outsourcing of these raw materials is not worth it, especially because it draws from the same sources as some of the biggest industries in the world—like gas and packaging—which are arguably more fundamental to our modern consumerist lifestyles. This is the danger of the world of entertainment. As larger issues try to go green, we should perhaps consider converting the less essential parts of life to sheerly reusing and recycling.

Works Cited

“9 Top Countries for Tungsten Production.” INN, 23 Jan. 2020, investingnews.com/where-is-tungsten-mined/.

“Adhesive Chemistry and Raw Materials - about Adhesives - Adhesives - Adhesivesandoatings.com.” www.adhesivesandcoatings.com, www.adhesivesandcoatings.com/adhesives/about-adhesives/adhesive-chemistry-and-raw-materials/. Accessed 2 June 2024.

“Aluminum Production & Manufacturing Process Explained.” HARBOR Aluminum, www.harboraluminum.com/en/aluminum-process.

Australia, Geoscience. “Aluminium.” Geoscience Australia, 11 Sept. 2023, www.ga.gov.au/education/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts/aluminium

“Tin.” Geoscience Australia, 17 May 2018, www.ga.gov.au/education/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts/tin. Accessed 2 June 2024.

Butcher, Amanda. “Lab-Grown Diamond Production Methods.” International Gem Society, 2023, www.gemsociety.org/article/lab-grown-diamond-production-methods/.

Chai, W. J. “Making Mirrors: The Science behind Making Perfect Mirrors.” Kovann Mirror, 11 Apr. 2022, kovannmirror.com/how-we-make-mirrors/.

Chandra, Manu, et al. REAL COST of STYROFOAM Presented to St. Louis Earth Day. 22 Nov. 2016.

Daggar, Jay. “How Is Cardboard Made: Manufacture of Corrugated Board.” GWP Group, 14 Jan. 2016, www.gwp.co.uk/guides/how-is-cardboard-made/.

“E-Beam Evaporation of Aluminium: Process and Applications.” Korvus Technology, 10 Apr. 2023, korvustech.com/e-beam-evaporation-of-aluminium/. Accessed 2 June 2024.

Hernandez, Marco, et al. “The Messy Business of Sand Mining.” Reuters, 18 Feb. 2021, www.reuters.com/graphics/GLOBAL-ENVIRONMENT/SAND/ygdpzekyavw/.

“How Are Hot Glue Sticks Made? | Glue Guns Direct.” Glue Sticks, Guns, Dots & Hot Melt Adhesives UK | Glue Guns Direct, 8 Apr. 2019, www.gluegunsdirect.com/2019/04/how-are-hot-glue-sticks-made/

“How Is Glass Transported?” www.toughglaze.com, 26 Feb. 2024, www.toughglaze.com/how-is-glass-transported. Accessed 2 June 2024.

“How Is Plastic Made? A Simple Step-By-Step Explanation.” British Plastics Federation, www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/how-is-plastic-made.aspx

“How Mirrors Are Made.” Mirror Shop, www.mirror-shop.co.uk/how-mirrors-are-made.irs

James Edward Hoffmann. “Silver Processing.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 28 Jan. 2015, www.britannica.com/technology/silver-processing.

National Geographic. “Petroleum | National Geographic Society.” Education.nationalgeographic.org, National Geographic, 19 Oct. 2023, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/petroleum/.

“Natural Rubber Leading Producers Worldwide 2020.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/275397/caoutchouc-production-in-leading-countries/

Obata, Kazushi. Single-Crystal Diamond Cutting Tool for Ultra-Precision Processing. A.L.M.T Corp, 20 Apr. 2016.

“Raw Materials of Glass.” www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xzf3Cgz99I. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

“Right Here in Louisville, the Last of the Disco Ball Makers.” Whas11.com, 29 Dec. 2016, www.whas11.com/article/news/local/right-here-in-louisville-the-last-of-the-disco-ball-makers/417-380137041. Accessed 2 June 2024.

Song, YoungChan, et al. “Mirror Finishing of Co-Cr-Mo Alloy Using Elliptical Vibration Cutting.” Precision Engineering, vol. 34, no. 4, 3 Feb. 2010, pp. 784–789. sciencedirect.

“Tin Statistics and Information | U.S. Geological Survey.” www.usgs.gov, www.usgs.gov/c enters/national-minerals-information-center/tin-statistics-and-information

U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).” Www.eia.gov, www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=727&t=6

Venditti, Bruno. “Which Countries Produce the Most Copper?” World Economic Forum, 12 Dec. 2022, www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/12/which-countries-produce-the-most-copper/.

“What Is Carbide? - Technical Info/Cutting Formula.” MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION, 24 May 2022, www.mmc-carbide.com/us/technical_information/tec_guide/tec_guide_carbide. Accessed 2 June 2024.

Paige Trotter

Professor Christine Cogdell

Des 40A

2, June 2024  How Embodied Energy Harms Disco Balls:

Disco balls represent more than just glitter and glamor. They symbolize an environmental challenge by substantially presenting a significant environmental threat, evidenced by the diverse array of plastic and metal materials employed in their construction, which disrupt ecosystems and contribute to environmental harm. This essay will explore the environmental impact of disco balls, examining their production use of embodied energy and the disposal that contributes to ecosystem degradation. “Disco balls and mirror balls are both stage lights that create a disco-like atmosphere. These shiny balls are usually made of glass or plastic and have many small mirrors glued or attached to them” (Suleman, H. (2024, May 3). “How do mirror disco balls work?”efavormart.com). Glass is a common material used in disco balls when making this poses several environmental challenges throughout being recycled. While glass is often perceived as being environmentally friendly its production process takes longer and the production of glass involves high energy consumption. “Disposal of waste glass and incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA) in landfills is a waste of resources and poses significant environmental risks. This work aims to recycle waste glass and ISSA together to form value-added glass cosmetics. 

The physical and mechanical properties, leaching behavior, and microstructure of glass ceramics produced with different proportions of waste glass powder (WGP) and (ISSA) were investigated.” (Huang, Yujie. (2024, Feb 15).“Recycling of waste glass and incinerated sewage sludge ash in glass - ceramics”sciencedirect.com). This shows how the production of glass requires a lot of energy and a lot of raw materials including the chemicals that include soil, water, and air posing a threat to the environment. Typically mirrored tiles from glass, produce sand and soda, ash, and limestone. These raw materials are transported to manufacturing facilities where they undergo processing the mirrored tiles into raw materials to create glass. Once processed they are shipped to Bria factories where they are used in the production, as well as the glass or mirrored tiles are incorporated into the production process for shipping them out to manufacturing sites.

 An example of how we can help our environment is by reducing the carbon footprint of disco balls so that they can imply environment stability and climate change mitigation. “Definitions of embodied carbon differ. Some view the embodied carbon of a building as including the entire life cycle of the materials, even the operational phase of the building- for example, taking into account multiple replacement cycles of finishes over time. A full life cycle view of embodied carbon would account for landfilling or recycling materials.” (Melton, P. (2023, September 28). “The urgency of embodied carbon and what you can do about it”. BuildingGreen.)  Minimizing the carbon footprint will help our environment change in stability by adopting energy-efficient manufacturing processes as well as using renewable energy sources. We can implement reusing practices such as manufacturers reducing the embodied carbon of disco balls and considering the life cycle of a disco ball to improve environmental performance. Plastic is another concern for creating disco balls in the core or base of materials that affect the embodied energy; the production of plastic components for disco balls involves various energy-intensive processes. 

“Over the past 70 years, the mass and diversity of plastic has risen significantly. In 1950, just 1.5 million tonnes of plastic materials were produced. By 2017 this had risen to 350 million tonnes. As a result of this high production, it is currently estimated that 1200 million metric tonnes of plastic will be in landfill for the environment by 2050.” (Natalie A. Welden, & AbstractGlobally. (2020, March 13). “The environmental impacts of plastic pollution”. Plastic Waste and Recycling.sciencedirect.com).  This shows the staggering increase in plastic production over the past decades, leading to a significant accumulation of plastic waste in the environment. Plastic pollution poses a severe threat to ecosystems, wildlife, and human health in society. When Plastic is disposed of in landfills it can take several hundreds of years to decompose this also releases toxic chemicals into the earth that impact our way of life. The embodied energy of disco balls is very impacted by the plastic materials in the environment. The energy required to extract the raw materials and manufacture the plastic components to transport them and make the disco balls contributes to the embodied energy process. By reducing plastic and incorporating more 

sustainable materials, manufacturers can lower the embodied energy of disco balls to help our reproduction. Implementing reuse practices such as repurposing disco balls and using the same access materials can help minimize the environmental footprint of the disco ball production. The lifestyle of disco balls, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal, can be essential for improving their environmental performance and reducing their contribution to plastic pollution. Disco balls can be reused or repurposed to extend their lifespan and reduce energy consumption instead of discarding the old or damaged disco balls they can be refurbished and repaired for new installations. We can reuse by maintaining the lighting systems and power sources reducing this can help minimize the energy consumption making energy-efficient lighting systems for discoballs.

 “One main characteristic of plastic is its durability. In somewhat paradoxical contrast, it is mostly used in a disposable manner. Increasing the reuse of plastic products might therefore provide a solution to the wastage of this durable material. For example, in interviews, respondents stated to use plastic bottles for a purpose other than that for which it was initially designed” (Canner and Pascall, 2010, p.418)  when a screw-type closure is used and bottles can easily be cleaned and refilled.” (Natalie A. Welden, & AbstractGlobally. (2020, March 13). “The environmental impacts of plastic pollution”. Plastic Waste and Recycling. sciencedirect.com). This example shows how we can reuse materials well. As this example suggests, increasing the reuse of plastic products could provide a solution to the wastage of this durable material. Lighting systems for disco balls could be designed with modular or interchangeable parts that allow for easy maintenance for replacing and repairing the components of the disco balls. Manufacturers can reduce the environmental impact such as LED lights can 

further, reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact during operation for making disco ball products. Green gas emissions and environmental degradation can also be a factor in harming our environment primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels. Machinery used in modeling, shaping, and cutting as well as finishing disco balls typically run on electricity or fossil fuels releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere. “Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide - the most dangerous prevalent greenhouse gas- are at the highest levels ever recorded. Greenhouse gas levels are so high primarily because humans have released them into the air by burning fossil fuels. 

The gasses absorb solar energy that keeps heat close to Earth’s surfaces, rather than letting it escape into space. That trapping of heat is known as the greenhouse effect.” “Today's climate change is in the term scientists  used to describe complex shifts, driven by green concentrations, that are now affecting our planet’s weather and climate systems.”(Nunez, C. (2019, May 13). “Greenhouse gasses, facts and information. Environment.” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/greenhouse-gases). In addition to contributing to climate change, the embodied energy of disco balls can also have direct and indirect impacts on human health and the environment. The production, use, and disposal of Disco balls may involve the release of toxic substances. Harmful chemicals into the air, water, and soil. These pollutants can pose harsh risk factors to our ecosystems, wildlife, and human populations, leading to negative health outcomes. Heavy metals are also very 

harmful to our environment. The presence of heavy metals within a disco ball can have significant environmental and health implications. This shows how we should change the important factors when designing the production for the disco ball.

“Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements that have at least five times greater than that of water. Their multiple industrial, domestic, agricultural, medical, and technological applications have led to their wide distribution in the environment. Their toxicity depends on several factors including the dose, route of exposure, and chemical species, as well as the age, gender, genetics, and nutritional status of exposed individuals. Because of their high degree of toxicity, arsenic, cadmium, chromium lead, and mercury rank among the priority metals that are of public significance.” (Tchounwou, P. B., Yedjou, C. G., Patlolla, A. K., & Sutton, D. J. (1970, January 1). “Heavy metal toxicity and the environment”. SpringerLink). This example is important because proper disposal and recycling of disco balls containing heavy metals are essential for minimizing environmental impact and health conditions to avoid human exposure. This poses risks to ecosystems therefore recycling disco balls can recover valuable metals for reuse. Reducing the need for new metal extraction and lowering the embodied energy for future products.

Lastly, transportation is very important when bringing the materials over. Materials are sourced or processed around the world, and the immediate production is used by rail transport and is often more cost-effective for large volumes of production and more environmentally friendly than trucks or using goods for aircraft. “We find that they address a range of market inefficiencies, but that there are still several aspects that can further improve the cost-effectiveness of current EU climate policies in the transport sector. For example, higher taxes and emission performance standards for aviation and shipping, the right combination of research innovation investments and learning- by doing policies, and balancing implicit carbon prices by revising the road tax system and adding congestion toll and charges. Finally, European policy has important side effects on the rest of the world that need to be taken into account in the section of policies.” (Albalate, D., Barla, P., Börjesson, M., Breed, A. K., Bronzini, R., Charlier, D., Creutzig, F., Borger, B. D., D’Haultfœuille, X., Finon, D., Fischer, C., Goulder, L. H., Hagedoorn, J., Ec. (2022, June 25). “Cost-effective reduction of fossil energy use in the European Transport Sector: An Assessment of the fit for 55 packages”. Energy Policy. sciencedirect.com). This example emphasizes the role of policy measures such as taxes, emission standards,  research and innovation investments, and carbon pricing mechanisms, in promoting cost-effective and sustainable transportation practices.

By incentivizing the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and transportation methods as well as the policymakers this can help reduce the environmental impact of the transport sector and embody the energy of production within processing over the disco balls. Lastly, all of these examples shown such as plastic, gas emissions, cost-effective reduction of fossil fuel energy for minimizing the environmental impact of disco balls, Heavy metals, glass, chemicals, and embodied energy are all ways that address the ecological challenges posed by disco balls. This approach considers the entire lifecycle of the product from raw material extraction and the end of life disposal. By reducing plastic usage, minimizing energy consumption, promoting recycling, and implementing sustainable transportation practices we can work towards initiating the first steps towards creating a more sustainable impact of disco ball production as well as contributing to a more environmentally friendly future.

Works Cited:

(Albalate, D., Barla, P., Börjesson, M., Breed, A. K., Bronzini, R., Charlier, D., Creutzig, F., Borger, B. D., D’Haultfœuille, X., Finon, D., Fischer, C., Goulder, L. H., Hagedoorn, J., Ec. (2022, June 25). “Cost-effective reduction of fossil energy use in the European Transport Sector: An Assessment of the fit for 55 packages”. Energy Policy. sciencedirect.com)

(Nunez, C. (2019, May 13). “Greenhouse gasses, facts, and information Environment”, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/greenhouse-gases).

(Tchounwou, P. B., Yedjou, C. G., Patlolla, A. K., & Sutton, D. J. (1970, January 1). “Heavy metal toxicity and the environment”. SpringerLink).

(Canner and Pascall, 2010, p.418)  “When a screw-type closure is used and bottles can easily be cleaned and refilled.” (Natalie A. Welden, & AbstractGlobally. (2020, March 13).

(Natalie A. Welden, & AbstractGlobally. (2020, March 13). “The environmental impacts of plastic pollution”. Plastic Waste and Recycling, sciencedirect.com). 

(Melton, P. (2023, September 28). “The urgency of embodied carbon and what you can do about it”. BuildingGreen.) 

(WGP) and (ISSA) were investigated.” (Huang, Yujie. (2024, Feb 15).“Recycling of waste glass and incinerated sewage sludge ash in glass - ceramics”sciencedirect.com).

(Huang, Yujie. (2024, Feb 15).“Recycling of waste glass and incinerated sewage sludge ash in glass - ceramics”sciencedirect.com).

Iea. (n.d.). “Aluminium” IEA. https://www.iea.org/energy-system/industry/aluminium )

(An e, Beyer, C., Blengini, G. A., Clay, S., Corinaldesi, V., Dalgren, K. E., Hellweg, S., Huang, Y., Lindsey, T. C., Malasavage, N. E., Quina, M. J., Su, N., Susset, B., … Disfani, M. M. (2011, August 2). “Environmental risks of using recycled crushed glass in road applications. Journal of Cleaner Production”. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652611002745)

Marika Takai

Professor Christina Cogdell

DES40A A06

2 June 2024

Life Cycle of a Disco Ball - Waste

As a counterculture to the stigmatization of dance music in the 70s, the subculture of disco emerged (Garber). Beyond the music and the fashion, at the heart of the dance floor was the disco ball. By reflecting light off small mirrored tiles arranged on the surface of a ball, it creates a unique and mesmerizing ambiance, so much so that it developed into an icon of its time. This paper delves into the waste produced from disco balls during its life cycle, particularly in acquiring its necessary metals, shipping to customers, and its occupation of landfills. Despite their fun, sparkly appearance and the end of the disco era, disco balls have the potential to produce harmful wastes, even today.

Due to disco’s dying nature, many authentic disco ball manufacturers have been chased out of the market and replaced by cheap, Chinese models. Although other factors like labor and material costs also allow the steep price drop, one of the largest factors is that cheaper disco balls replace the traditional metal core with one made of styrofoam. Both models however, have to be covered with small mirrored tiles. These tiles are reflective because they are covered in aluminum and silver, which both have negative environmental effects in their acquisition (Pitts). In terms of silver mining, the United States has the highest gross emissions for nearly all flows to the environment, while Asia has the largest emitter of silver directly into land and water (Eckelman). Unlike silver, aluminum is not readily available as a pure material and is an alloy (Harbor). It is typically extracted from bauxite, who’s mining process consists of stripping topsoil to extract the material. This results in losing natural vegetation, which causes a depletion of biodiversity, which then negatively impacts the wildlife dependent on it. The mining industry as a whole has had an incredibly destructive impact on the environment. Mining has long been associated with drastic measures such as mountaintop removal mining, which uses explosives to blow off mountain tops. These methods cause toxic metals such as cadmium, selenium, and arsenic from mining fallout to contaminate local water supplies, essentially poisoning the water. These procedures also send toxins into the air, affecting communities for miles around. It has been found that cancer rates have doubled for those living near mining sites and the risk of heart defects in babies was 181% higher for those born to mothers who live near these sites during their pregnancy. In addition to harming humans, the mining industry has hurt biodiversity of wildlife habitats by destroying their homes to extract profits. In the United States alone, the mining industry has destroyed more than 2,000 streams and wiped out 1.5 million acres of forests in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia as of 2018. However, disco balls do not always have to be manufactured from raw materials. If they are made as DIY projects as seen on Pintrest and TikTok, it is possible to make disco balls from recycled materials, most commonly from crushed mirrors and CDs that would otherwise end up in landfills.

Due to the dying nature of the disco era, there is only one remaining American manufacturer. They go by the label “Omega National Products” and have made disco balls for pop icons such as Beyonce, Shakira, Madonna, and more. The company’s city of origin, Louisville, even commissioned an 11 foot, 2300 pound disco ball from Omega in honor of their disco culture. What makes the company so special is their process: they have been hand making their products for nearly half a century. Yolanda Baker, the heart of the operation, has perfected the art of painstakingly hand-gluing mirrored tiles to metal spheres (McFadden). However, Omega’s orders have been overtaken by Chinese manufacturers, who create cheaper, sloppier disco balls. Their balls visually differ from Omega’s in that they contain rough edges due to improper sanding, have gaps from sloppy tiling, and are typically made with foam cores. Although Omega likely still uses fossil fuels to keep their facilities running, these cheap knockoffs are much worse for their environment as their production process almost exclusively uses machines or utilize cheap labor. Despite their quality differences, what keeps consumers continuously buying from the Chinese market is the pricing; for the same sized disco ball, what would be a $125 ball from Omega would be $25 on popular sites such as Amazon. This issue is not exclusive to disco balls; many authentic, quality products are overtaken by those made from cheaper, faster production. 

Another large contributor to climate change is that of distribution and transportation. Omega National Products ships their products mostly via UPS. UPS had a recent scandal in which they agreed to pay $5 million dollars to resolve hazardous waste allegations in 2022 over their failure to make acceptable land disposal determinations and for neglecting to conduct hazardous waste management (Garland). This problem reflects past UPS; many enterprises forsake sustainability for profit. Collectively, domestic transportation emissions accounted for the largest portion of greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. These gasses stay in the atmosphere for a hundred years or more. Additionally, cars, planes, and ships that combust fuel also emit smog, making it harder for citizens to breathe. However, vehicles are becoming increasingly efficient and renewable energy reliant, which is a sign of hope for our future. Internationally, however, the picture is gloomier. The previously mentioned cheaper disco balls are typically made in China, meaning that they often have to ship internationally in order to distribute their products. Every year, approximately $6 trillions worth of goods are carried by air. The shipping industry is responsible for around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to at least 2.5% of the world’s total emissions. Air cargo represents 2% of those emissions. Internationally, shipping currently emits more than 0.9 gigatonnes of CO2 annually and that number is still growing. In addition to the extreme greenhouse emissions of transportation, it also increases the presence of aluminum in the water and the air, particularly from motor vehicle exhaust (Alasfar). Although aluminum exists naturally, it can be dangerous at high concentrations. Human exposure to aluminum is correlated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s and epilepsy. Overall, although disco ball shipping is only a small part of the picture,transportation emissions and possible byproducts can be dangerous for both humans and the environment. 

 Although a disco ball works effectively just hanging from a ceiling, some venues opt to enhance their effect through the use of LEDs and motors. This obviously implies using power from a source that is plugged in to draw out the necessary electricity to power the LEDs or motor, which is typically derived from natural gasses, coals, or nuclear power. To maintain the disco ball, it is probably best to clean the outer surface to keep it as sparkly as possible. Cleaning products often come in plastic packaging, which is not recycled, leading to further waste.

The primary waste from disco balls is from the disco ball itself; that is, disco balls cannot be recycled. Cheaply made disco balls have flooded the market and are typically made with styrofoam cores. Styrofoam is among the types of plastics that is not used for recycling, and as a result, often ends up in the landfill. Styrofoam manufacturers were found to be the fifth largest producer of toxic waste in 1986 (Colgate). Globally, more than 13 gigagrams of styrofoam are emitted annually and 75% of it ends up in landfills. Styrofoam fills up 30% of landfills, which within the context of landfills already running out of space, is a devastational amount. Americans generate about 4.4 pounds of trash a day, and many local landfills are closing because they simply do not have enough room (McDonald). Additionally, styrofoam is non degradable and non recyclable, and was found to take about 500 years to decompose. According to TRACI, an environmental impact assessment tool, styrofoam’s emissions percentage for global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, and ozone depletion potential are all 99.73%. However, if we begin replacing styrofoam with alternative materials such as recycled paper products, we have hope of limiting these consequences. Moving from the styrofoam interior, the reflective surface of the discoball is made possible by layering many mirrored tiles. Unfortunately, these mirrors have a different melting point than bottle glass, meaning that it is difficult to accommodate them to recycling, even if they were separated from the styrofoam cores. However, there is also hope for making the most of mirror wastes. Although mirrors cannot be recycled as a product, research into using mirror factory residue to form an environmentally friendly brick with low plasticity has recently undergone (Korpayev). Bricks created using 75% agricultural irrigation canal remnants and 25% mirror factory residue were successfully tested and made for adequate characteristics for ceramic brick production. This is possible by utilizing the clay left over as a sand byproduct in the production of glass from mirror manufacturing. Although styrofoam and mirrors are not ideal for the environment, we can incorporate steps like using recycled paper materials and recycling byproducts to make the disco ball’s life cycle more green. 

In conclusion, although disco balls may seem like a benign product, its life cycle demonstrates its potential environmental impacts. As an item used simply for viewing pleasure and entertainment, perhaps this demonstrates how we should carefully consider whether we need a product or not before enabling its production, distribution, and waste management. Even then, when we purchase a good, we can choose to buy from more sustainable producers and research its production process beforehand.

Works Cited

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Garland, Max. “UPS to Pay $5.3M in EPA Settlement over Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations.” Supply Chain Dive, 20 Oct. 2022, www.supplychaindive.com/news/ups-hazardous-waste-settlement-epa-environmental-protection-agency/634532/.

Korpayev, Serdar, et al. “Recycling of Agricultural Irrigation Canal Sludge and mirror factory residue in Green Brick Production.” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 346, Sept. 2022, p. 128474, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.128474. 

McFadden, Cynthia , et al. “Disco Is Dead, but the Ball Still Spins in Louisville.” NBC News, 7 July 2016, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/disco-dead-ball-still-spins-louisville-n603441. Accessed 5 May 2024.

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