Aluminum Cans VS Pop Bottles
At The Richmond, we no longer allow flat water in plastic bottles to be brought into the venue for events. The reason is three-fold: to cut down on unnecessary packaging and waste that is produced by these bottles; we supply filtered tap water that is just as tasty and clean as bottled water; and most importantly to me, to cut down on the amount of precious water that is thrown away from half-full bottles, water that many people in our world have to walk many kilometers each day for their families to survive.
So recently clients have asked me about whether it is better to bring their soft drinks in aluminum cans or two-liter plastic bottles. Actually, I did not know but have always liked the aluminum cans because there appeared to be less waste. Unopened cans could be taken home and used; opened two-liter bottles typically were just emptied and thrown out. Well, I just found an article in the Green Guide that I think is worth reprinting.
A six-pack of aluminum soda cans contains about as much liquid (2.1 liters) as a two-liter soda bottle, but in terms of environmental impact, they’re not so similar.
Plastic two-liter bottles are made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate plastic), which is derived from petroleum and natural gas. The energy used to make these bottles is the same amount used to run a 50-watt light bulb for about 16 hours.
Roughly 60 percent of soda cans are made from new aluminum (mined bauxite ore), and 40 percent are made with recycled aluminum. The energy used to make these cans is the same amount used to run a 50-watt light bulb for 42 hours.
Only 23 percent of plastic bottles actually get recycled. Furthermore, plastic can only be recycled a few times.
Aluminum cans have an interior coating that may contain the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A, although levels in soda are usually undetectable.
In addition to the nonrenewable resources needed to make them, plastic bottles often wind up in rivers, streams and oceans where they harm fish, birds and other wildlife. Plastic production is a major source of industrial pollution, pumping out sulfur oxides and nitrous oxides, which contribute to acid rain and global warming.
Aluminum is easily and infinitely recyclable, and it’s recycled much more often than plastic, as high as 52 percent.
Bauxite mining can be very destructive, blighting landscapes and polluting water and raw aluminum production uses more energy than any other type of metal. Over half of that comes from hydroelectric power, which is generated from damming rivers and streams, disrupting aquatic habitats. The next largest source of energy is coal-fired power, a major contributor to global warming.
As I read this article neither really appeared to be a great choice but at this time unless we are willing to give up pop we have to do the best that we can. So energy-efficient production and the product-to-package ratio of two-liter bottles make them the winner.
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