Although plastic bottles are the norm, the debate over glass vs plastic bottles is heating up – and for good reason! Plastic has become the standard for most product packaging today, but it certainly isn’t the smartest material we could be using. Here are five reasons you should switch over to glass.
Glass vs plastic bottles
Glass is 100% recyclable
Glass is 100% recyclable, which means that we can recycle it again and again with no loss of quality. In comparison, plastic degrades each time it’s recycled. We can’t recycle plastic bottles to make more plastic bottles. Instead, they must be downcycled into something else, like synthetic fibers for clothing or rugs.
Glass is made from natural, abundant materials
To make glass, we use limestone, sand, and soda ash. These materials are natural and abundant. Plastic, however, is made from fossil fuels like crude oil and natural gas. Not only are these resources limited, but collecting, storing, and producing them releases toxic emissions and can lead to harmful oil spills that poison the water and wetlands.
Glass doesn’t leech chemicals
Food-grade plastic often contains BPA or BPA alternatives, which may leak potentially hazardous chemicals into your food and water. These chemicals have been linked to cancer and reproductive issues – more on that here. In comparison, glass is free of potentially damaging chemicals and has a high resistance to leaching as it isn’t very porous.
We don’t have a glass pollution problem
You’ve likely heard of these terms: plastic pollution, plastic crisis, and plastic waste. There are no such terms associated with glass because glass almost always finds its way to the recycling plant. In the U.S., glass is just 5% of garbage in landfills. Plastic is 20%. Plastic can take up to 400 years to break down, yet it has a very low recycling rate (8.7% in the U.S. in 2018) and an ever-increasing production rate.
You can reuse glass over and over again
Since plastic leaches chemicals, it is especially dangerous to reuse it, especially for food and water. On the flipside, you can reuse glass indefinitely. As long as it remains unbroken, you can repurpose glass bottles, jars, and cups for a lifetime.
Why haven’t more companies already switched over?
The unfortunate fact is this: plastic is cheap. That makes it convenient for companies to package their products in plastic, as it means bigger earnings for them.
Plastic is also lighter, so it ships for less than gas. It’s less fragile than glass, more kid-friendly, and comes in a wider variety of options.
The convenience of plastic has led to it’s incredible popularity. However, in the debate of glass vs plastic bottles, glass is the clear winner. Glass is better for our environment and our health. Next time you have the choice between the two, choose glass!
Leave a comment below and let me know what plastic you’ll be swapping for glass.
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