4 ms·

Pardon the ignorance but aside from cost, what is wrong with using glass? Why not just make a ton of glass from cheap sand and scale/automate it to make it chea

by _8j50 4y ago

Pardon the ignorance but aside from cost, what is wrong with using glass? Why not just make a ton of glass from cheap sand and scale/automate it to make it cheaper?

14 4y ago
Glass is heavy and would increase the carbon footprint of some items.
morepork 4y ago
Glass is incredible carbon intensive to make, and takes practically forever to break down. It's also fragile.
- macintux 4y ago
  And I don't know the economics for making it not so, but it's quite dangerous when it breaks. Not something I want around food (barring glassware that's not particularly fragile).
- hanniabu 4y ago
  Doesn't matter if it takes forever to break down, glass is inert and nontoxic
- oyashirochama 4y ago
  Glass literally becomes sand after not too long in the environment. It's energy intensive but so is aluminum processing from bauxite and several levels above it. Both are really good at reusability though, also on that front aluminum does just as good at not breaking down.
notacop31337 4y ago
A generally applicable rule of thumb to apply is as soon as you need to generate heat, you're spending a lot of energy on the process, which is far more damaging and requiring of an overhaul than packaging.
zdragnar 4y ago
To make glass resistant to shattering from jostling in shipping, it needs to be thicker than the equivalent sturdiness from plastic. That means excess weight and volume, making transportation more energy-intensive. Plastic is also easier to mold into a variety of shapes, so you get conveniently stackable containers and lids without much extra cost (the same shapes introduce stress points in the glass where fractures could occur). Plastic can also be made flexible, i.e. as shrinkwrap (which this product would replace in some cases). You aren't going to wrap vulnerable fruit and veg (like english cucumbers) in glass wrap. Glass can be easier to recycle, but again you're fighting volume and mass in transportation as well as waste management. It's great for things like liquids if you have businesses willing to re-use them, but they also have to expend the extra energy to properly clean and sanitize them before they can be reused. The last time I bought a soda from a company that would take back glass bottles and reuse them, the flavor could only be described as "soap". I never again wondered why every other company sold disposable aluminum and plastic after that.
vxNsr 4y ago
It’s actually a big problem, we’re running low on sand that’s good for making glass, you need sea sand for glass, desert sand is no good, it’s the wrong shape. Nefarious actors are actually stealing beach sand in the dead of night. It’s a problem.

by _8j50 4y ago

Pardon the ignorance but aside from cost, what is wrong with using glass? Why not just make a ton of glass from cheap sand and scale/automate it to make it cheaper?

14 4y ago

Glass is heavy and would increase the carbon footprint of some items.

morepork 4y ago

Glass is incredible carbon intensive to make, and takes practically forever to break down. It's also fragile.

macintux 4y ago
And I don't know the economics for making it not so, but it's quite dangerous when it breaks. Not something I want around food (barring glassware that's not particularly fragile).
hanniabu 4y ago
Doesn't matter if it takes forever to break down, glass is inert and nontoxic
oyashirochama 4y ago
Glass literally becomes sand after not too long in the environment. It's energy intensive but so is aluminum processing from bauxite and several levels above it. Both are really good at reusability though, also on that front aluminum does just as good at not breaking down.

notacop31337 4y ago

A generally applicable rule of thumb to apply is as soon as you need to generate heat, you're spending a lot of energy on the process, which is far more damaging and requiring of an overhaul than packaging.

zdragnar 4y ago

To make glass resistant to shattering from jostling in shipping, it needs to be thicker than the equivalent sturdiness from plastic. That means excess weight and volume, making transportation more energy-intensive. Plastic is also easier to mold into a variety of shapes, so you get conveniently stackable containers and lids without much extra cost (the same shapes introduce stress points in the glass where fractures could occur). Plastic can also be made flexible, i.e. as shrinkwrap (which this product would replace in some cases). You aren't going to wrap vulnerable fruit and veg (like english cucumbers) in glass wrap. Glass can be easier to recycle, but again you're fighting volume and mass in transportation as well as waste management. It's great for things like liquids if you have businesses willing to re-use them, but they also have to expend the extra energy to properly clean and sanitize them before they can be reused. The last time I bought a soda from a company that would take back glass bottles and reuse them, the flavor could only be described as "soap". I never again wondered why every other company sold disposable aluminum and plastic after that.

vxNsr 4y ago

It’s actually a big problem, we’re running low on sand that’s good for making glass, you need sea sand for glass, desert sand is no good, it’s the wrong shape. Nefarious actors are actually stealing beach sand in the dead of night. It’s a problem.