I agree with your concern over plastic beer bottles, as well as your general
anxiety over the use of virgin plastic in other containers. However, I
think
you are missing a clear choice for packaging material that is FULLY
recyclable: GLASS.
Unlike a plastic bottle, a glass bottle can easily be recycled into another
glass bottle, thus reducing energy costs and use of virgin materials. In
addition, no other packaging material is as inert as glass. There is
virtually NO danger that anything will leech from glass into the food or
beverage in it. Plastic and aluminum have tried to make similar claims, but
to accomplish this they need to add barrier materials to their packages.
Glass is glass. No barrier materials are needed.
Rather than calling on Coke, Miller and others to use more recycled plastic
in their containers, you should be calling on these companies to increase
their use of glass containers, most of which have 15-30% recycled glass in
them.
Eventually, plastic ends up in a landfill. Even if a plastic bottle is
recycled or made from some recycled plastic, it eventually has to be used
for
something else, and then, eventually it gets discarded. There is no reason
this has to happen with a glass container. No matter what shape, design, or
color, it can be recycled into itself endlessly. THERE IS NO GOOD REASON A
GLASS BOTTLE SHOULD EVER END UP IN THE WASTE STREAM.
Please consider adding the "glass message" to your commendable efforts at
trying to reduce the waste stream.
If you would like to discuss this further, or need more information, please
feel free to contact me.
Tom Beiswenger
Product Manager
Emhart Glass Inc. - manufacturer of forming, inspection and process control
equipment for the glass container industry
email: tom.beiswenger@bdk.com
phone: 607 735 4279