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RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

This generalization is a problem. Assessing the whole life cycle, the carbon footprint of glass bottles is problematic and plastics is a viable alternative.

You have to consider the significantly higher weight of glass increasing carbon emissions from transportation.

While plastics bottles can only be reused about half as often as glass bottles, their production is far more energy-efficient (glass production is done at temps of 1400-1600 °C or 2500-3000 °F while plastics use temperatures from 160-300 °C or 320-600 °F) which also reduces carbon footprint in basically every country.

Of course recycling has to be taken seriously and properly organized to prevent plastics just ending up in nature. But we have to balance the micro-plastics problem against climate change. We need to solve both.

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Geth@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
It used to be done a lot more before and some places still do it in Europe. You return the glass bottle intact, they reuse it as is. Only carbon spent is in transporting it.

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- RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Well, you also have to clean them which I assume also uses energy. And they need to be fulfilling “food-grade” cleaning requirements since you want to drink out of them, so that’s probably more energy needed than a simple wash in soap.
  
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  - Frokke@lemmings.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    This is done regardless of the source of the glass. IE fresh or reused glass gets the same cleaning treatment.
    
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- Aux@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  It’s done less and less because recycling plastic bottles is better.
  
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- RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Yes (I actually live in Europe), but it cannot be reused indefinitely and needs to be recycled after about 50 uses (that’s why I mentioned the whole life cycle of a bottle). Also, glass breaks.
  
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half_built_pyramids@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

You have to consider the significantly higher weight of glass increasing carbon emissions from transportation.

If the transportation was electrical renewable sourced this wouldn’t be a factor.

their production is far more energy-efficient (glass production is done at temps of 1400-1600 °C or 2500-3000 °F while plastics use temperatures from 160-300 °C or 320-600 °F)

If manufacturing was electrical renewable sourced this wouldn’t be a factor.

I don’t want micro plastics in my nutsack. I don’t care that it’ll be a long time before we get there. We should start getting there now. I don’t want to hear perfectionist fallacy arguments about why I should be happy to have plastics swimming around with my sperm.

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- RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  I don’t want to hear perfectionist fallacy arguments
  
  You mean like the ones you gave if there was a 100% renewable power grid and transportation was 100% electrical glass would be carbon neutral?
  
  Well, both aren’t and we are a long way from either, so that argument stands. You may care about your nutsack, as do I about my own, but climate change is the more critical problem.
  
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