There are three types of people in the world: Those who know soda tastes better from a glass bottle than a plastic one, people who’ve never tasted soda, and psychopaths.
The official ranking of soda containers goes like this:
1.Glass bottle
2.Aluminum can
3.Literally anything else
4.Plastic bottle
On a hot summer day, a bottle of cold soda water is the greatest comfort after absorbing the sun’s radiation. Although sodas come in a variety of packaging, from plastic bottles to aluminum cans to glass bottles, many people prefer to choose the same brand of glass bottles to package sodas. Moreover, in the official ranking of a certain soda website, the first place is soda in glass bottles, followed by soda in aluminum cans, and finally soda in plastic bottles. So, what is the reason for this situation?
1. Glass bottles for drinks tastes better than plastic bottles
Although a certain brand company has clearly stated that “no matter which kind of packaging, the beverage formula is the same,” many people think that soda in glass bottles is the best. So, what causes this?
First, the soul of sparkling water is not only the ratio of sugar and taste but also the essential bubbles (carbon dioxide). When the bubbles enter the mouth, they become weak acids, stimulate neurons, and bring pleasant feelings. The bubbles The presence of sugar will also make us feel that the happy water we drink is cooler, and will also increase the happiness brought by sugar.
The bubbles will be affected by the packaging. Plastic beverage bottles are mainly made of PET plastic (polyethylene terephthalate), which is a high molecular polymer. During the polymerization process, the polymer chains will tangle together randomly like noodles, like this:
This kind of noodle folding structure allows gas to pass through more easily than glass and aluminum. Therefore, over time, the bubble content of happy water in plastic bottles will be slightly less than in glass bottles and cans.
Secondly, not only are plastic bottles made of plastic, but there is also a thin plastic coating inside the can. The coating is to prevent carbon dioxide from reacting with metal. Rest assured, they are all safe, but the presence of plastic will slowly absorb the flavor of the happy water. In contrast, glass can be said to have almost no impact on the beverage it contains. Therefore, the happy water you drink in a glass bottle has a taste closest to the factory’s initial setting.
2. Glass bottles for drinks is more environmentally friendly
Due to its high transparency, stable chemical properties, strong corrosion (acid) corrosion resistance, etc., glass is widely used in food, beverage, and cosmetic packaging. Also because it is easy to clean and stable enough, many countries around the world have reused glass bottles. A stall selling drinks. In the current wave of plastic reduction, glass bottles often appear as environmentally friendly alternative materials.
Glass is called “a treasured material to achieve carbon neutrality”, the manufacturing process of glass products includes the following links: raw materials (sand, soda ash, limestone, etc.) are melted at a high temperature of 1400-1600 degrees to form liquid glass – enter the mold for molding – cool down and transport for use.
According to estimates from the European Glass Container Association, for every 10% of recycled glass added, the glass manufacturing process can reduce emissions by 5%. At present, European glass container manufacturing has added an average of 52% recycled content. As long as the quality control of waste glass is good enough, this proportion can continue to increase. Coupled with the use of renewable energy, glass manufacturing is expected to become carbon neutral in the short term.
From the perspective of environmental impact: glass is a non-degradable material and takes longer to naturally degrade in the environment than plastic, but glass does not cause soil or air pollution in the environment. “In comparison, if plastic packaging enters the environment, it can affect soil health, cause ocean pollution and the chemicals contained in it may also affect the health of animals, plants, and humans.”
From the perspective of resource conservation: The glass industry often says that “glass is a material that can be infinitely recycled”, with low recycling losses, guaranteed quality, and high reuse efficiency. According to the American Glass Association, it takes less than a month for glass to go from the recycling bin to new packaging again.
Calculated on a ton basis, recycling one ton of waste glass can save 720 kilograms of quartz sand, 250 kilograms of soda ash, and 60 kilograms of feldspar powder, reduce the use of 10 tons of coal, and save 400-kilowatt hours of electricity. One ton of waste glass can be recycled into 20,000 500-gram wine bottles, which saves 20% in cost compared to production using new raw materials.
3. Many uses for glass bottles
In China, everyone is a master of anti-renunciation. Whether it’s an empty cookie box or a leftover glass drink bottle, our grandmothers and mothers found a use for it. The biscuit box becomes grandma’s sewing box, and the glass bottle filled with oil or vinegar becomes a new assistant in the kitchen. So, besides that, what other uses are there for empty beverage glass bottles? Here are a few briefly introduced for you.
First of all, due to the advantages of high transparency, stable chemical properties, and strong resistance to corrosion (acid) corrosion, using glass bottles to store oil, vinegar or juice is a good choice. If you are short of a cup, using a glass bottle as a temporary drinking glass is also a great option. It does not expand and contract like plastic bottles, nor is it easily deformed like paper cups.
If you want to have a romantic candlelight dinner but don’t have a candlestick, then you can look at the empty glass bottle you have on hand. Is the mouth of the bottle the size that is suitable for inserting a candle? If there is still some space, you can wrap the bottom of the candle with a tissue or handkerchief and stuff it inside. If a vase is missing, another free glass vase can serve as a vase. Adding the right amount of water to the bottle can prolong the blooming of the flowers. If you’re a pragmatist, you can also stick vegetables in bottles to keep them fresh.
Secondly, glass bottles can be used as decorations. Friends with strong hands-on skills can get the items they want by transforming glass bottles. A single glass bottle can be transformed into a beautiful wind chime. Three or more glass bottles can be used for small home fountains. If you have a box of glass bottles, you can DIY a special cabinet. Your friends can’t help but say how cool it is.
If you had thousands of glass bottles, you could not only use them to make furniture, but you could also use them to surround a wall or build a house.
In short, there are many advantages to drinking in glass bottles compared to drinking in plastic bottles. To protect the environment, the next time you finish your drink from a glass bottle, you can sort the trash and recycle the glass. Or you could consider reusing it. Glass is a durable material and should not be used once and then thrown away. After all, the secondary use of glass also requires energy.