Glass is synonymous with quality. With its endless shapes, colors and textures glass commands attention wherever you see it however it is used. No surprise we at Glasstic have a strong affinity for all things glass and we wanted to share 10 glass facts that may not be widely known about our favorite beverage container material:
1) Nature was making glass long before man figured it out:
The intense heat of a volcanic eruption sometimes fuses rocks and sand into a glass called obsidian.
When lightning strikes sand, the heat sometimes fuses the sand into long, slender glass tubes called fulgurites.
2) The first the glass plant built in the United States was at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608
3) Made from nontoxic raw materials (silica, sand, soda ash, limestone and up to 70% recycled glass) glass is the only packaging material certified by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as “generally regarded as safe.”
4) In the US today, about 80% of glass containers are recycled, compared with less than 25% of plastic containers.
5) Glass has the fastest turnaround of any curbside recycled product and can be back on store shelves in a new form as quick as 30 days.
6) Recycled glass, also called cullet, requires a lower heating temperature than glass from raw materials, thus requiring 40 percent less energy.
7) Brown glass containers are used most often for perishables because the amber tint reflects ultraviolet light and protects against spoilage.
8) Glass is nonporous and impermeable, so there are no interactions between glass packaging and products to affect the flavor of food and beverages. No nasty aftertaste – ever.
9) Glass can be recycled endlessly with no loss in quality or purity.
10) Glass never decomposes, making it the worst candidate for the landfill. Experts say that it would take 1 million years for a simple glass bottle to completely break down under normal landfill conditions.
We’d love to hear any glass facts you’d like to share!