• Inert
• Can be sterilized
• It comes from practically inexhaustible NATURAL raw materials.
• Does not alter the properties of the products it contains (F.D.A.)
• Add prestige and image to the product.
• May contain very cold or very hot products.
• Versatile (ease of molding)
• Translucent
• Airtight
• Indeformable
• Preserves aroma and flavor
• It is the most ecological packaging. It is 100% recyclable.
• Reusable

Glass being the only 100% and infinitely recyclable packaging material, historically and from its origin, it considers recycling as an integral part of the production process.

The process is extremely simple. It is enough to separate it from ordinary garbage, classify it by color and eliminate foreign bodies such as lids, straws, etc., so that it can be included in the formula.

The containers that are recycled after use are called NOT RETURNABLE OR DISPOSABLE, since they have been designed to be used once. Examples of these containers are most food products, such as sauces, juices, jellies, etc. They all have one feature in common: their lid can be easily removed by hand.

By recycling glass, energy savings of 2 to 3% are achieved for every 10% of cullet (glassware) that is added to the formula. In addition, the amount of solid waste that reaches public landfills is significantly reduced.

Vical has more than 1150 collectors in Central America and the Caribbean. You can contact the nearest collection center.

There is an option that we consider even better, the Returnable glass, since this container is designed to be used for a specific purpose but repeatedly.

There are a variety of beverages that are packaged in returnable containers such as soft drinks, beers and juices. These containers are collected by the bottling companies and after an adequate washing process they are reused in repeated cycles.

A returnable glass bottle is reused on average 40 times, which means that a single returnable glass container has the potential to prevent 39 disposable containers of another material from being produced and / or reaching the environment.

Once the useful life of a returnable container ends, it is recycled, obtaining a new container with the same characteristics of the previous one ready for a new useful life.

Preferring this type of packaging allows practically no solid waste to be generated, it reduces the consumption of energy and reduces the need to extract virgin raw material, this being the best example of sustainability in terms of packaging production.

Finally, as this is a container that is reused many times, it becomes financially a very profitable container, allowing the products contained therein to be much cheaper than items packed in disposable containers.

Grupo Vidriero Centroamericano, VICAL, is characterized by contributing in different areas of society: economic, financial and environmental.

VICAL aware of the leading role it plays in the Central American society, takes the initiative to develop the platform “For a World as clean as glass”, through which consumers and the general public are provided with useful and valuable information about the benefits and the impact of using glass for both health and the environment, as well as for the household economy and details of recycling programs.

“Por un mundo limpio como el vidrio” is an educational and awareness-raising initiative that informs the public through different aspects of information; namely, messages through various means of communication, information on social networks, volunteer activities and recycling campaigns.

Cultural institutions such as the Children’s Museum, both from Guatemala and Costa Rica, are supported through the same platform, also promoting cultural presentations such as concerts and sponsoring outstanding athletes who have named VICAL as a great example and also taken the message of the benefits of glass.

On the other hand, alliances with institutions such as CREADE, together with the recycling staff, create an educational message to be brought to governmental and educational institutions at a private level, which has exponentially multiplied the message of care for the environment.

This work that informs the already known characteristics of glass that is the only package material 100% recyclable and infinitely, has allowed VICAL to position itself as the largest recycler of any packaging material in all of Central America.