By ibrahima yakubu
The registrer African institute of waste management and environmental studies Dr Ahmed abdullateef Taye has warned that Glass bottles is 4 times worse for the environment than plastic bottles in the society.
The environmental impacts in which glass outweighed plastic include contributions to climate change, freshwater toxicity, land toxicity, ocean acidification and freshwater eutrophication when a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induce excessive growth of algae.
According To him, a study published in the Journal for Waste Resources and Residues from a. Researchers of the University of Southampton conducted a life-cycle assessment of various drink containers.
He said ,the Glass consists mainly of silica, which is a natural raw substance like sand. Glass will unlikely pollute the environment or affect human health and thus can easily be reused and recycled. Glass is widely accepted as a recyclable material internationally.
Glass bottles are worse for the environment than plastic bottles, according to a study published in the Journal for Waste Resources and Residues.
Researchers from the University of Southampton conducted a life-cycle assessment of various drink containers.
The analysis revealed that Tetra Pak-style fruit juice cartons and 100% aluminium cans are amongst the most environmentally-friendly.
The results demonstrated that in each category, there is a more environmentally-friendly packaging alternative but it highlighted that glass bottles – made of both virgin materials and a hypothetical ‘100%’ recycled materials are actually considerably more environmentally impactful than plastic bottles.
Alice Brock, lead author of the study said: ‘All beverage packaging that we assessed showed some form of environmental impacts and both the milk carton and Tetra Pak, despite being less impactful than the plastic bottles still contain plastic elements.
‘Based on the evidence, society needs to move away from single-use beverage packaging in order to reduce environmental harm and embrace the regular everyday use of reusable containers as standard practice.
‘There should be a move towards reusable beverage packaging to reduce environmental impacts and encourage more sustainable lifestyles.
‘Changes in infrastructure and potential incentives to use reusable packaging should be implemented and policies such as the proposed coffee cup tax should be adapted for single-use beverage packaging.’
He said, Believe me or not Glass bottles are worse for the environment than plastic bottles,
The glass affect the environment in many ways since it requires materials to be mined for its production – silica sand, soda ash and dolomite – this has all the associated environmental impacts with mining such as land degradation and dust and runoff from the mines reaching water sources.
Million of Plastic Bottles are produced Per Minute – Scary Plastic Statistics
There’s no doubt that single-use beverage bottles and cans are convenient. In a fast-paced society, grab-and-go drinks seem to make sense. Most people purchase single serving beverages without too much thought.
Many of the beverages that we consume regularly are in the form of single-use bottles and cans: bottled water, sodas, iced teas, cold brew coffee, fruit juices, energy drinks… it’s a long list.
He suggested ways of recycling glass bottles to save the environment. The broken pieces are crushed, sorted, cleaned, and prepared to be mixed with other raw materials like soda ash and sand. The raw materials and glass pieces are melted in a furnace and then shaped into moulds to make new bottles of different colours and sizes. New recycled bottles and jars are made in this way.
