Plastic waste that contaminates the ocean is estimated to 80% and is originally land-based trash that was recycled. Plastic in the ocean is composed of toxic microplastics that end up being ingested by aquatic animals, often killing them through choking or toxicity.
Most governments have been pledging to step up recycling efforts across their countries. Taking the initiative to bottle water using aluminum bottles, individuals and companies like water tanks NZ have taken the step to reduce both plastic waste and emission, thus giving an eco-friendly solution that could help our environment recover.
Advantages of aluminum over plastic bottles.
Reduce carbon footprint
If you want to keep your carbon footprint relatively moderate, aluminum is the best choice. The carbon footprints of aluminum are more complicated because making the metal with hydropower instead of fossil fuels reduces emissions while using recycled aluminum slashes it even further.
Recyclable and Reusable.
Plastics have lower reuse rates as compared to cans and bottles made of aluminum. Increasing recycling of aluminum cans and eliminating plastic is the greener alternative. Plastics always degrades when recycled.
Efficient and convenient.
Because aluminum is lightweight and cans make efficient use of space, there is less concern for transportation of aluminum bottles as they do not require much effort and attention from plastics or glass bottles. At the same time, less power is needed to chill drinks in cans and is particularly useful in tropical climes.
Health
Aluminum cans do not contain bisphenol A, an industrial chemical that is used to make plastic bottles. It has been proven that this chemical has health risks that might include cancer.
Disadvantages of aluminum.
Expensive
Aluminum has a larger footprint in production because of the vast power needed in the smelting process. It, therefore, uses vast amounts of electricity. Finding the raw materials for aluminum is 30% higher than that of plastic of the same capacity. In production, things like transport, preservation, and packaging must be kept into consideration to determine the cost and selling price of the product.
Environmental impact
In some market production, aluminum is not as smooth as the results, as it releases chemicals of greenhouse gas emissions. We are experiencing climate change effects, and aluminum doesn’t entirely circumvent that as the carbon released in the air during its production is twice as large as the production of plastic bottles. A better resource and process needs to be kept in place to ensure its entirely eco-friendly to those working or living around the factories.
Affects the economy
The shift to manufacturing aluminum bottles would raise costs for packaging and production companies, including new manufacturing infrastructure, affecting the economy at large as the costs are likely to be passed on to consumers.
Limited
Plastic recyclable bottled water can also be sold in a range of sizes, while cans are more limited. A standard plastic bottle usually has 2.5 servings of fluid, while aluminum cans contain only one serving. Most aluminum cans can’t be resealed like the plastic bottles once opened. Considering those facts, it is wise to weigh the availability of both cans and bottles.
Displacement
Aluminum doesn’t occur in nature. It is the mining of bauxite rock in areas around Australia, India, and Brazil. The mining process involves relocating and displacing residents of a particular area. Bulldozing large amounts of vegetation and surface rocks negatively affects ecosystems creating air and water pollution, which can cause damage and health risk.
But, When logistics are taken into account and further examples of the complexities of environmental impact, the overall carbon equation becomes just a minor disadvantage of aluminum over the problems caused by plastics packaging.
