Which is really better for the environment, glass jar or plastic packaging?

In the eyes of the consumer, glass jars are far superior to plastics, which are frequently regarded as a disgrace to environmentalists, owing to the fact that only 9% of plastics are recycled. Nonetheless, there is much to consider in terms of glass and plastic manufacturing and recycling.

Glass jar, bottle, cup and why to prefer it?

By breaking, the glass jar and glass can be reused indefinitely. If the glass breaks, it remains safe and stable, with no harmful chemicals released into the soil. As a result, even if the glass is not recycled, the environmental impact will be minimal. In the environment, glass, on the other hand, takes a million years to degrade. Before sending glass containers to be processed, it is preferable to reuse them.

 

 

This is how the circulation works. The glass is thrown away by the customer. The glass is removed from the bin and transported to a glass cleaning facility. The glass goes through a pre-treatment process that uses compressed air to remove any paper or plastic. Magnets are used to remove all metal objects. Following that, the glass containers are color-sorted and washed to remove any remaining impurities. It's then crushed, melted, and shaped into new items like glass jars and bottles.

Because glass weighs about ten times more than a comparable plastic or aluminum bottle, it has serious recycling issues, including a lack of end markets, pollution, and transportation costs. Glass is much heavier than plastic and is much more likely to break during transit. As a result, glass emits more emissions during transportation than plastics and costs the company more due to its weight.

Another factor to consider is that the majority of glass containers cannot be recycled. The fact that colored glass can only be reused and melted with other colors of the same hue plays a significant role. It is certainly worthwhile to consider this before purchasing a product from a store.

 

Why is the production of new glass problematic?

The production of new glass is not as environmentally friendly as one might believe. Sand is required for the creation of new glass. We use sand faster than the planet can replenish reserves, despite the fact that we have a lot of it on our beaches, in the deserts, and under the sea. 

We use more sand than, say, oil, and only certain types of sand are suitable for use in construction (desert sand cannot be used). Sand is primarily gathered from riverbeds and seabeds. Sand extraction from the natural environment, on the other hand, disrupts the ecosystem because the microorganisms that live in it feed down the food chain. Furthermore, riparian communities are exposed to flooding and erosion due to the removal of sand from the seabed.

You can probably guess that the entire glass recycling process takes a lot of time, energy, and resources. A lot of glass is added to the formula, which is assembled for transport, and a heavy load produces a lot of exhaust gases in the long run. Many of the ovens used to make glass use fossil fuels, resulting in significant pollution.

 

Why is plastic being criticized?

For good reason, the zero-waste community has a tradition of not using plastic products. For starters, most plastics are made from oil, making them non-renewable and unsustainable. Many issues have arisen as a result of oil drilling, including disruption of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Oil pollution results from the handling of oil, which pollutes the soil and water and can cause devastating fires.

 

 

Second, it's difficult to overlook plastic's carbon footprint. The processing of plastic emits carbon dioxide from the manufacture of the plastic to the disposal of the product made from it.

If the plastic is recycled, it can only be processed into a lower-quality product, which means you will never receive the same packaging. As a result of this treatment, a product that can no longer be reused is destined for landfill.

In the environment, plastic takes 450 years to decompose, and in a landfill, it takes 1000 years. These figures may appear low when compared to glass, which takes a million years to break. It's worth noting that, unlike glass, plastic contains chemicals that leach into the environment during decomposition.

Both glass and plastic have advantages and disadvantages. We can only do so much to reduce our reliance on single-use items. Try to find a way to recycle glass or plastic cans that you've purchased at home. Also, try to incorporate recycling into your daily routines. For example, when purchasing coffee from a vending machine, bring your tops with you.

Natural cosmetics are transformed in MaiWistik's collection. As a manufacturer, we are conscious of the fact that we are working with glass cups, and we have purposefully chosen the most common brown color to facilitate recycling. By the way, our jars and bottles can always be returned to trade shows or events so that they can be reused and a small discount on a new product can be accepted.