{"id":2277,"date":"2018-05-31T18:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T16:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/?p=2277"},"modified":"2019-03-25T15:11:08","modified_gmt":"2019-03-25T14:11:08","slug":"classy-glass-or-plastic-fantastic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/classy-glass-or-plastic-fantastic\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Talk: Recycling \u2014 Classy Glass or Plastic Fantastic?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You get up in the morning, walk into the bathroom and are happy once again that you switched your skincare regime to clean & safe alternatives; they contain organic ingredients, just the best that nature has to offer for your skin. But wait\u00a0\u2014 given all your eco-awareness, how can you be holding a PLASTIC container in your hand? Wouldn\u2019t it be healthier for you (and the environment) if all those lovely creams, cleansers\u00a0\u2014 even the water bottles we drink from \u2014 came in glass containers? On which material does the ray of truth shine in the hot topic of \u2018glass versus plastic\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The differing life cycles of glass & plastic<\/h2>\n

Both are made from non-renewable resources\u00a0\u2014 glass is produced mainly from silica (i.e. finely ground sand), whereas plastic is derived from petrochemicals (i.e. oil). Sand is still abundant on earth; oil is not. Furthermore, the extraction & processing of petrochemicals is environmentally far more damaging than sand mining.<\/p>\n

On one hand, PET (polyethylene terephthalate<\/em>)\u00a0\u2014 the material most plastic water or soft drink bottles are made of\u00a0\u2014 is said to be one of the most eco-friendly plastic materials there is; it doesn’t release any harmful gases when burnt, nor does it contain any of the more harmful chemicals (like bisphenol-A<\/em> or phtalates). During the processing of PET raw material, however, small particles and so-called \u2018pellets\u2019 tend to leak into the environment, and this runoff eventually makes its way into the ocean. As “eco-friendly” as PET might be when burnt, tossed plastic never really decomposes; it instead pollutes the environment for an indefinite period of time.<\/p>\n

\"recycling<\/a><\/p>\n

On the other hand, the process used to manufacture glass consumes extreme amounts of energy. The sand first needs to be melted at a temperature of over 1500\u00b0C, and a good portion of those furnaces are fueled by oil (while others are use natural gas).<\/p>\n

After production and before recycling, both glass and plastic containers need to travel to their destination. Since glass is a lot heavier & bulkier than plastic, glass bottles definitely leave the stronger carbon footprint in this regard. A heavier load of bulky items means the need for more fuel and more trips, both of which ultimately contributes to global warming. Shipping plastic is actually much more fuel efficient, as it is lighter and can be easily compressed.<\/p>\n

What about their applications & suitability for daily use?<\/h2>\n

Glass is inert, non-toxic and easy to clean & maintain. Though as we’ve said, it is heavy to carry around and also prone to breakage. Plastic is easy to lift & durable; however, it is not as heat-resistant as glass, and exposure to heat (e.g. while cooking, or after long exposure to the sun) will break down its components and release harmful substances. Thinking green, we would probably want to reuse our glass or plastic bottles. And that’s no problem with glass; just refill your container with new content. But with plastic, you’ll need to be a bit more cautious, as non-PET packaging is often not designed for long-term food storage; it may leach dangerous chemicals over extended periods of time.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Glass versus plastic in recycling<\/h2>\n

Now let\u2019s move beyond our small individual eco-efforts and see the bigger \u2018recycling\u2019 picture. What happens to glass & plastic in their afterlife?<\/p>\n

Glass\u00a0<\/strong>never degrades; using recycled content in the production of glass also saves energy, since a lower production temperature is needed. One of the main advantages when recycling glass is exactly that: it is recyclable without limit, even while maintaining its quality.\u00a0 New products can easily be packaged in recycled glass, though not all glass is recycled, particularly in countries that don\u2019t impose a bottle deposit. In these cases, glass is sometimes used as a pavement additive or landfill cover. It takes forever for glass to decompose, but at least it doesn\u2019t pose an immediate threat to the environment. It is just melted sand after all \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Plastic<\/b>\u00a0is lightweight, easy-to-transport & potentially recyclable. PET-bottles make for a good example: old bottles are partly recycled into new bottles or other useful things like packaging, fillers or textiles\u00a0\u2014 to name but a few. However, not all plastic containers are PET-containers; there are lots of different types of plastic used for different purposes, and those different types of plastic can\u2019t all be recycled together. Hence why they display the recycling symbol on labels and numbers on all plastic product displays (or shall we say \u201cshould\u201d display!).<\/p>\n

Thus, through a mixture of public laziness and federal negligence, not all plastic ends up being recycled… a situation which, in turn, adds to landfill & waste dumps. Although new research found that plastic degrades faster than previously expected (400 years), this is not necessarily good news. As mentioned before, unsafe chemicals can be leached into the environment; via consumption by animals & plants, they eventually find their way into our food chain.\"eco<\/a><\/p>\n

Any healthier alternatives?<\/h2>\n

Plastic that has can through the process of combustion can be a clean & potent source of energy. To achieve this, recycling must take place in a controlled setting (i.e. a modern waste-to-energy facility with air pollution controls); then the burning of plastic won\u2019t generate emissions as hazardous as other carbon-based fuels, like oil or coal. There\u2019s also a lot of research that’s been done regarding the development of biodegradable plastics; they would decompose into material components much less dangerous to the environment than their predecessors.<\/p>\n

In the end, it’s rather hard to compare the effects glass and plastic each have on the environment. So many factors play into the equation: where\/how is it sourced & produced, what the recycling process is, and\u00a0\u2014 probably the most crucial point\u00a0\u2014 the method & distance it will be shipped. Each has a large enough impact on the environment as it is, and although glass performs better in terms of manufacture & recycling, the perceived gap between the carbon footprint of their respective life cycles is diminished by long shipping distances.<\/p>\n

Which do you use? Glass or plastic? Let us know in the comments below.<\/h2>\n

At the end of the day, it\u2019s a very personal decision to make. Because without knowing the details of the material\u2019s origin & production, shipping & recycling processes, it is a nearly desperate endeavor to make an ecologically & ethically correct choice.<\/p>\n

Whichever you end up using, please \u2013 Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle!<\/h1>\n

Sources
\n<\/strong>http:\/\/news.nationalgeographic.com\/news\/2009\/08\/090820-plastic-decomposes-oceans-seas.html
\n<\/a>http:\/\/www.gmagazine.com.au\/features\/2936\/disposable-drink-bottles-plastic-vs-glass-vs-aluminium
\n<\/a>http:\/\/wasteplastictechnology.blogspot.de\/2005\/09\/myth-on-burning-plastics.html
\n<\/a>http:\/\/www.ifeu.de\/oekobilanzen\/pdf\/IFEU%20Handreichung%20zur%20Einweg-Mehrweg-Diskussion%20%2813Juli2010%29.pdf
\n<\/a>http:\/\/www.environmentalleader.com\/2008\/08\/21\/raw-sourcing-glass-plastic-or-aluminum\/
\n<\/a>http:\/\/www.factsonpet.com\/facts-on-pet\/
\n<\/a>http:\/\/thalex.wordpress.com\/2008\/04\/18\/plastik-zerstort-leben\/
\n<\/a>http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Plastic_recycling
\n<\/a>http:\/\/des.nh.gov\/organization\/divisions\/water\/wmb\/coastal\/trash\/documents\/marine_debris.pdf
\n<\/a>http:\/\/www.treehugger.com\/culture\/ecotip-glass-whats-the-environmental-impact.html
\n<\/a>http:\/\/www.petrecycling.ch\/de\/wissen\/pet-kreislauf.html
\n<\/a>http:\/\/www.petresin.org\/faq.asp<\/a><\/h6>\n
Editor\u2019s Note: This article was originally published in April 2015 and was updated in May 2018 for accuracy.<\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You get up in the morning, walk into the bathroom and are happy once again that you switched your skincare<\/p>\n

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