A semitrailer load of ballistic glass panels rejected from a project at the California State Capitol complex in Sacramento will be used in a new lion exhibit at the Abilene Zoo in Texas.
The 2-inch-thick panels, each measuring 42 inches by 10 feet, are rated Level 8 for ballistic resistance. Level 8 glass is designed to withstand multiple rounds from high-powered rifles and is made of layered composites that absorb and disperse impact energy.
Although new and structurally sound, the panels were manufactured to the wrong specification and could not be installed at the Capitol complex.
The glass manufacturer contacted Repurposed Materials, a company that resells surplus and used industrial materials, rather than sending the panels to a landfill, says Damon Carson of Repurposed Materials. Carson says the company has worked with a number of glass companies and glaziers over the years to find uses for used or surplus glass.
“The ballistic glass is perfectly good — it just doesn’t fit the original plan. Our job is to find someone whose plan it does fit,” Carson says.
The size, weight and specialized nature of the panels limited the pool of potential buyers. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo learned the glass was available and shared it on an email list for zoo curators, where it reached the Abilene Zoo. The zoo is preparing to build a new lion exhibit scheduled to open in 2027.
Carson says the glass provides more protection than a predator enclosure requires but costs the zoo significantly less than custom-fabricated glass.
“The zoo gets an incredibly strong product at a better price, and the glass gets used the way it was meant to be used — protecting people,” he says.
Carson says referrals are important to the company’s business because buyers for unusual materials are not always obvious.
“When someone shares an opportunity with their network, it can connect the dots in a way we couldn’t do on our own,” he says.
