Facts About Brown Glass

Brown (or amber) glass, like most glass, is made of four basic ingredients:

• Sand
• Soda ash
• Limestone
• Colorants such as iron and sulfur

Sand, soda ash and limestone are present in almost all glass, while the fourth (in the case of brown glass), iron and sulfur, determines the color of the final product. 

Once these ingredients are heated and melted, the glass is shaped into containers. Brown glass is used most often for food or drink containers, especially beer, because the amber tint reflects ultraviolet light and protects against spoilage.

Once originally manufactured, glass breaks down to its liquid form more easily. As a result, it takes 40 percent less energy to make glass products with cullet than it does with raw materials alone. This fact has created a strong industry-wide demand for recycled glass, and most municipalities accept some, if not all, colors in their programs.

About 90 percent of glass containers are recycled to produce more glass containers. What isn’t used typically ends up as decorative kitchen tile, insulation or even as road building material.