Eco-Monday: Glass vs. Plastic

We wote last week about the fact that it's in our environmental edict to stop buying plastic bottles. That's right, we buy only glass bottles, and in general, we avoid bottled water altogether, opting instead for glass bottles.
You might be wondering whether it's worth all that effort.
First, the rules.

• Our customers can request bottled water, but we don't offer it.
• We buy only glass bottles
• We buy only water in glass bottles that originates within 150-mile radius of Philadelphia

And now, the reasons we do all that.

Plastic is made of fossil fuel
Glass is endlessly recyclable--it's just heated sand, after all
Recycled glass has a 30-day turnaround time before it's back on the shelf again as new glass
Most glass is 70 percent post-consumer

There is one salient point we need to address: There is an argument out there that says that because glass is heavier than plastic, the environmental-cost savings you reap by not buying made of fossil fuels is negated by the extra fossil fuels you burn by shipping it. That's why our policy comes with a localization clause.

Remember, buy local and recycle your glass. It's not a bad policy to live by.

We got some great recycling information about glass from Earth911.com Did you know that recycled glass is used in reflective paint and can even be used to replace sand on beaches lost to erosion? Crikey!