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The problem with glass bottles is that they're heavy so transporting them results in far higher carbon emissions than making the plastic bottle.
by laurencerowe 3y ago
The problem with glass bottles is that they're heavy so transporting them results in far higher carbon emissions than making the plastic bottle.
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- gersg 3y agoAnd you can't drop them, you can't crush them to make them take up less space in the rubbish... they are objectively worse in all regards I can think of
- chris1993 3y agoThey don't go in the rubbish as they are completely recyclable
- gersg 3y agoImagine how bloody annoying it would be if we had to bring a bag full of empty glass bottles to the supermarket every time we wanted them refilled. Thank God for plastic
- bdcravens 3y agoI believe that the health and environmental issues caused by plastics are far more bloody annoying.
- saagarjha 3y agoI mean you’re going to the supermarket anyways, what’s the problem with taking a few bottles along with you?
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- gersg 3y agoCarrying weight on the way to the supermarket is worse than carrying no weight on the way to the supermarket... plus everything I already said.
- saagarjha 3y agoOk but like you’re carrying weight right back. Is it really that hard to put a couple of bottles in your car or bike?
- gersg 3y agoI walk. It's like 10 minutes to the supermarket. So I'd rather carry weight for 10 minutes, on my way back, instead of 20, both ways. This discussion is a waste of time. There are two options. One is easier than the other. Like everyone else, I want to take the easier one. Period.
- saagarjha 3y agoThe easiest option of dealing with plastic waste is just throwing it out your window and letting the litter pile up. Obviously people don’t do this because it has negative externalities that are undesirable.
- khimaros 3y agoconvenience has a price. it's worth considering what that price is, especially in aggregate.
- yazzku 3y agoImagine living 5 minutes from the supermarket. Then you could walk 5 minutes one way, and 5 minutes the other, adding up to 10 minutes total. Problem solved.
- Fr0styMatt88 3y agoYeah but this doesn’t scale. Like, there’s an assumption in these conversations that okay — glass bottles are better, but does that mean that now I’m going to hold on to and reuse every single glass bottle I ever receive from now on? Realistically? Then extend that to everything you use. I can imagine ending up with a house full of glass bottles. Where does it reasonably stop for the individual? The conversation also highlights that our intuitions about what the most environmentally friendly thing is can’t be trusted. Individuals can’t solve this, that’s for sure.
- khimaros 3y agoi do this and it is not as annoying as you're making it out to be. you get used to the process and, as a reward, you and your fellow earth inhabitants don't have to deal with all of the waste later.
- hirvi74 3y agoHaving to move and handle all that glass might be good physical exercise for many. So, it's even more of a win-win.
- neverartful 3y agoWhen I was a kid glass reuse was the norm. Yes, you take the large soda bottles back to the supermarket. Everyone did it and it wasn't a big deal.
- chris1993 3y agoWhich might be solved with a switch to EV delivery vehicles
- DoreenMichele 3y agoI was going to ask for a citation but a quick search gets me this: https://theconversation.com/ranked-the-environmental-impact-of-five-different-soft-drink-containers-149642 https://theconversation.com/ranked-the-environmental-impact-...
- citrin_ru 3y agoI see in shops drinks bottled thousands miles away (cheap transportation and economy of scale makes it profitable). May be with the sift to glass production will be more distributed and close to consumers.