Bottled water comes in a variety of packaging and if you are a conscientious consumer worried about the impact on the environment, it can be hard to decide which bottled water brand to buy.
While glass is a better choice than plastic, it may not be as eco-friendly as it seems. When comparing glass to plastic, less toxic emissions are released during production, it’s reusable, and it’s made from all natural materials. However, recycling glass bottles involves a multi-step, energy-intensive process.
Glass recycling begins with separating the glass from other materials. The aluminum or plastic bottle cap has to be removed, along with any labels on the glass. Labels are stuck on with a heavy duty glue. Heavy duty glue means a heavy duty machine is needed to remove the labels from the millions of glass bottles that make their way through the recycling system.
The separated materials now have to be taken to their respective recycling reprocessing facilities, adding to the fuel costs, where they are then sorted by color. At the reprocessing facility, the glass is crushed into cullet, which are then transported and processed into new products at other facilities.
So, while glass bottles are a clear winner over plastic in terms of recyclability, the resulting carbon emissions from transporting them means they're way less eco-friendly than Green Sheep Water’s lightweight and 100% recyclable aluminum bottles and cans.