I've read accounts from people who were around when glass was widely used, particularly for beverages, who report that broken glass was everywhere, much worse than today.
Just to add to downsides besides energy spent for transportation and other processing.
A cousin cut his wrist falling with a glass half-gallon milk bottle in hand. But in general I don't remember that much in the way of broken glass from my childhood, though pretty much everything bigger than a school-lunch milk carton was glass.
Just to add to downsides besides energy spent for transportation and other processing.