Plastic Vs Glass Water Bottles
The emergence of Glass bottle packaging has a rich history and dates back to the 1600s. However, the invention of the glass bottle-blowing machine in 1880 helped industrialize the manufacturing of glass bottles. Therein rose the wide popularity and usage of Glass bottles, with several beverage industries ranging from milk and sodas to wine, whiskey, and other spirits initially utilizing glass bottles as their packaging source for user consumption.
Although in today’s world of plastic-dominated bottles and packaging, spirits continue to be sold in their original glass bottle packaging while most other beverages, including milk, soda, fruit juices, and coffee, are now dominantly sold in plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and tetra pack cartons. Different varieties of bottles are also available, and you can read about them on BottleAdviser. But are plastic and other packaging forms a better and more viable option than glass bottles? Do they pose a threat to the preservation of our environment? Or should we continue to utilize them in the long run?
These are some of the questions we shall further discuss in this article, the answers of which every consumer must be aware to make more rational decisions while purchasing their choice of packaging for the product to help create a healthier environment.
First, one of the primary reasons for a spike in the popularity of plastic bottles over Glass and other containers is that plastic bottles are far cheaper to produce than Glass and other containers. The consumer ultimately bears the expensive costs of manufacturing and transporting Glass, steel, and other bottles. Therefore, the lower prices of plastic bottles lure consumers into purchasing them.
The demand for cheaper plastic alternatives leads to several industries opting for plastic-based packaging over Glass, steel, and others. However, such preference is highly concerning since it is not a safe environmental alternative.
Regarding Recycling, research shows that Glass bottles are 100% recyclable. Despite being highly fragile, they possess excellent durability, allowing them to last longer and enabling consumers to further store other liquids and commodities in glass bottles.
Glass bottles can easily be sterilized for further use and do not release toxins or chemicals in the liquid stored within. This provides consumers an authentic taste of their beverages. In fact, research further states that Coke, sodas, and other drinks taste better in glass bottles than in other packaging forms. For instance, aluminum cans possess polymers that react with the liquid inside and absorb a small amount of flavor, slightly altering their taste.
Although in today’s world of plastic-dominated bottles and packaging, spirits continue to be sold in their original glass bottle packaging while most other beverages, including milk, soda, fruit juices, and coffee, are now dominantly sold in plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and tetra pack cartons. Different varieties of bottles are also available, and you can read about them on BottleAdviser. But are plastic and other packaging forms a better and more viable option than glass bottles? Do they pose a threat to the preservation of our environment? Or should we continue to utilize them in the long run?
These are some of the questions we shall further discuss in this article, the answers of which every consumer must be aware to make more rational decisions while purchasing their choice of packaging for the product to help create a healthier environment.
Plastic Vs Glass Bottle: A Detailed Comparison
First, one of the primary reasons for a spike in the popularity of plastic bottles over Glass and other containers is that plastic bottles are far cheaper to produce than Glass and other containers. The consumer ultimately bears the expensive costs of manufacturing and transporting Glass, steel, and other bottles. Therefore, the lower prices of plastic bottles lure consumers into purchasing them.
The demand for cheaper plastic alternatives leads to several industries opting for plastic-based packaging over Glass, steel, and others. However, such preference is highly concerning since it is not a safe environmental alternative.
Regarding Recycling, research shows that Glass bottles are 100% recyclable. Despite being highly fragile, they possess excellent durability, allowing them to last longer and enabling consumers to further store other liquids and commodities in glass bottles.
Glass bottles can easily be sterilized for further use and do not release toxins or chemicals in the liquid stored within. This provides consumers an authentic taste of their beverages. In fact, research further states that Coke, sodas, and other drinks taste better in glass bottles than in other packaging forms. For instance, aluminum cans possess polymers that react with the liquid inside and absorb a small amount of flavor, slightly altering their taste.
Plastic bottle manufacturers could possibly transfer acetaldehydes to the liquid present within, which again causes a slight distinction from its original flavor. Glass bottles, on the other hand, do not tend to have any such chemicals reacting with the liquid present within to alter their taste, which helps prove the fact that if consumers wish to enjoy the purest form of a beverage, Glass bottles are your best choice for the best tasting experience.
Although glass may be recycled, glass bottles require high amounts of energy and natural resources to produce, and it takes nearly one million years for glass to decompose in the environment and could take even longer if dumped in a landfill. Therefore, repurposing glass bottles at your home to store other liquids and food items or painting them to use as decor is a more rational decision than simply dumping them to waste due to their long decomposing cycle.
When we talk about plastics, however, not only do they have intense Carbon emission rates, but only up to 9% of Plastic is recycled. Comparing this to the high Glass bottle recyclable rate, Plastic bottles fall back from a long shot. Moreover, Recycling is difficult because plastic bottles tend to deteriorate in quality when recycled and cannot be treated as anything more than waste. Speaking of which, once disposed of, plastic bottles can take up to more than 450 years to decompose, which may be less than the disposal period of Glass bottles; however, we must mention that Plastic bottles tend to release highly toxic chemicals into the environment during its decomposing period and turn into microplastics which if released into water bodies and soil, could very well pollute and drastically contaminate our environment. Humans and the wildlife around us will ultimately bear the repercussions of this.
Although glass may be recycled, glass bottles require high amounts of energy and natural resources to produce, and it takes nearly one million years for glass to decompose in the environment and could take even longer if dumped in a landfill. Therefore, repurposing glass bottles at your home to store other liquids and food items or painting them to use as decor is a more rational decision than simply dumping them to waste due to their long decomposing cycle.
When we talk about plastics, however, not only do they have intense Carbon emission rates, but only up to 9% of Plastic is recycled. Comparing this to the high Glass bottle recyclable rate, Plastic bottles fall back from a long shot. Moreover, Recycling is difficult because plastic bottles tend to deteriorate in quality when recycled and cannot be treated as anything more than waste. Speaking of which, once disposed of, plastic bottles can take up to more than 450 years to decompose, which may be less than the disposal period of Glass bottles; however, we must mention that Plastic bottles tend to release highly toxic chemicals into the environment during its decomposing period and turn into microplastics which if released into water bodies and soil, could very well pollute and drastically contaminate our environment. Humans and the wildlife around us will ultimately bear the repercussions of this.
Moreover, even when plastic bottles are incinerated, they release highly toxic fumes and Carbon Dioxide, further polluting the air we breathe and harming our health in the long run. Statistically, nearly 5.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were emitted by plastic incineration in 2015. By 2050, plastic incineration could emit up to 2.8 gigatons of Carbon Dioxide per year. Such continued levels of emission would not only damage the environment tremendously but also put human health at significant risk. Safe disposal of plastic bottles continues to be a massive challenge to date.
Conclusion
Therefore, to finally conclude the long-debated question, Glass bottles are certainly better than Plastic and other bottles. Despite Glass having an extremely long decomposition time, Glass bottles are certainly more durable and long-lasting. They can be reused for an array of purposes to help benefit consumers even after their initial usage and do not tend to harm the environment by toxic chemical emissions. Furthermore, Plastic bottles should be reduced or eliminated entirely due to their harmful properties and inability to be disposed of quickly. Hence, promoting the idea of minimizing the usage of plastic bottles must be widespread among consumers to conserve our environment effectively in the long run.
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