5 Reasons We Heart Glass Over Plastic
As the modern world stands, both glass and plastic have a place, and unfortunately are taking up too much space (in landfills and in our oceans). We would be remiss to not acknowledge that both substances have awesome uses crossing many fields from the everyday to the medical. We must also note that we have abused and overused both. But, here at OA we can’t help but cheer for glass in the battle of the containers. While it will never be so easy as to say, “glass, good” and “plastic, evil,” we do have a few good reasons why we can’t stand the latter in all its ubiquity, and prefer the former in all its clunky glory.
1. Anything poured from a glass container when compared to its plastic counterpart simply tastes better. Period. (Feel free to conduct your own taste testing on this one.)
2. Glass, unlike plastic, does not contain any harmful chemicals such as BPA, phthalates, PVC or polycarbonate. So, nothing can leach into what you’re consuming from a glass bottle.
3. When glass is recycled it gets turned into more glass, meaning it can be recycled over and over and never lose its integrity. Plastic, on the other hand, is downcycled and turned into something such as plastic lumber or carpet padding. It loses integrity with each use, and thus isn’t truly recyclable.
4. The recycling issue aside, you are more likely to reuse your glass containers, bottles and jars over and over and over again, and in creative ways. In addition to not having to worry about the leaching of toxic chemicals from a petroleum-derived product, glass is simply sturdier and stands up to the test of time.
5. Glass is gorgeous. It contains our roots, our history. It’s romantic and nostalgic. It’s not like you’d ever put a message in a plastic bottle and throw it into the sea… right?
image: ReillyButler