The bottled water industry is stepping up efforts to replace plastic bottles with more easily recycled aluminum cans. The initiative responds to widespread public outrage over reports that plastic water bottles severely pollute the world’s oceans.
The French company Danone is the most recent to switch from plastic water bottles to aluminum cans. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestle have all begun selling water in an aluminum bottle.
Replacing polluting plastic water bottles with recyclable aluminum cans should be a simple way to help the environment. Perhaps not.
Aluminum bottles may result in less ocean waste, but they also have an environmental cost. It is estimated that aluminum production can emit twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a plastic bottle.
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What does the Environmental Protection Agency say about it?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, aluminum bottles contain approximately 68 percent recycled content, compared to only 3 percent of plastic bottles in the United States. As a result, aluminum is widely regarded as an environmentally preferable material.
Aluminum bottles vs. Glass bottles:
Aluminum bottles and glass bottles both receive high marks for recyclability. Both materials can be recycled indefinitely with no loss of quality.
Aluminum cans are being recycled more frequently, with the Environmental Protection Agency reporting that 54.9% of aluminum beer & soft drink cans were recycled in 2015.
Furthermore, aluminum beverage containers have the highest percentage of recycled content of any beverage container, at 68 percent. While these figures vary by source, a Slate article cites a figure of 40% recycled content for aluminum beer cans. The amount is higher than that of glass bottles, which contain an average of 20% – 30% recycled content.
So, which one is environment friendly?
Aluminum bottles are 100% recyclable and are significantly more durable than plastic bottles. Aluminum is non-toxic, so it doesn’t leach chemicals into drinks or react with acidic or alcoholic beverages. Aluminum bottles also have the highest “recycle rate” of any beverage container and can be recycled continuously without losing quality.
This implies that regardless of how frequently a can is reused. Another can be made repeatedly with a similar advantage to the climate as a recently moved item.
If you want to protect the environment and avoid the health risks of drinking from plastic bottles, we recommend using an aluminum bottle. Aluminum is the world’s most abundant metal and the most recyclable one—and it’s cheaper to produce than plastic water bottles.
Aluminum bottles are a great choice when it comes to being green. They’re infinitely recyclable and have a lower carbon footprint than plastic bottles. Made of 60 percent recycled aluminum, our aluminum bottles save energy and natural resources over the manufacturing process of new aluminum. Plus, we use 100 percent recycled paper in all of our packagings.
Final words:
So, are aluminum bottles better for the environment?
Yes. Aluminum bottles are infinitely recyclable, making them a good choice for preserving the planet’s natural resources and mitigating climate change. Three recycled aluminum bottles save enough energy to power a laptop computer for 11 hours Read More
