The Advantages of Plastic Bottles

Plastics have many advantages over other materials. Aside from the many shapes and types of plastic bottles, plastics can be recyclable. Plastic bottles are widely used and can be found in supermarkets, vending machines, as a disposable bottle, or a reusable water bottle. Plastics are also cheap and reliable. Plastics have even moved into new markets, like the wine and beer industries. This is because plastics have some advantages over glass.

Plastic Properties

Plastic is synthetic, therefore it can have many properties. Plastic can be hard, strong, durable, soft, flexible, heat resistant, shatterproof and corrosion resistant. This means the container will not break like glass if dropped, and can sit on a shelf for a long time. Plastic bottles are also lightweight, and transparent, so you can see the contents.

Recycling

Plastic is a recyclable material, which benefits the economy and the environment. Industries have also started using less plastic per bottle, which when combined with recycling, can save resources and finances. From the environmental point of view, less resources means overall less pollution. The recycling of plastic is also a widely accepted practice, which means recycling bins are never far from trash cans.

Beer

Beer and other alcoholic beverages usually comes in a can or glass bottle. However, companies are beginning to experiment with plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). There are many advantages to switching over, but one of the biggest is where beer can be taken. Beer in plastic means it's safer to drink at the beach, at picnics, and at parties, because glass shards are no longer a problem.

Winery

Wineries are also experimenting with the move to plastics because plastic packaging offers a more sustainable choice for some quality wines. Because of bottle technology some wines can now benefit from longer shelf lives. Also, wine companies can benefit from the lightweight property of plastic which means shipments can carry many more bottles. This lessen costs and allows for better product distribution.

Skepticism

Some skeptics believe that plastics are dangerous and can contaminate water or food because of their inherent chemical properties. Plastics can be poisonous. There are many forms of plastics with different chemical polymers. On the other hand, plastic bottles are safe to drink out of because the type of plastic used and its process is made for the purpose of holding safe drinking water. As long as plastics are used as intended, meaning using microwave safe bowls in a microwave, consumers have little to be concerned about.

References

• in the hopper
• The Catalogue of Recycled Products
• Skeptoid