Pepsi Moving To Bottles Made of Plant Material 321
Master Moose writes "Pepsi unveiled a new bottle yesterday made entirely of plant material. The bottle is made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials. Ultimately, Pepsi plans to also use orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business. 'This is the beginning of the end of petroleum-based plastics,' said Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defence Council and director of its waste management project. 'When you have a company of this size making a commitment to a plant-based plastic, the market is going to respond.'"
Disposal (Score:4, Insightful)
How do we dispose of them? Are they as recyclable as petroleum-based plastics?
Also, are they biodegradable?
Re:glass is better (Score:4, Insightful)
I guess it's still the 1950's in Mexico, since they're still washing out and reusing glass bottles.
Just one problem... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How about glass (Score:3, Insightful)
We don't want glass!!!!!
If it's left broken on the road, it can easily cause flat tires on bicylces!!!!
Organic bottles such as these are better; there is less danger to bicycles!!
If I had my way, all glass bottles would be replaced; especially beer and wine bottles.
Whenever I get a flat on my bicycle, it's almost always caused by broken glass from bottles.
Folks; please; don't suggest going back to glass!!!!!
I don't want more flat tires!!!!
Do you realize that all petroleum products are organic? The only reason that the switch was ever made from glass to plastic is because it saves the manufacturer money on shipping costs (reduced weight).
Re:How about glass (Score:2, Insightful)
Thanks for the idea. I'll start tossing all glass products on the bike paths by me. The people on them do not follow the traffic rules at all. The bike path has a stop sign, not the road. So the people do not stop for the stop sign and make the cars and truck driver slam on the brakes as to not hit them.
I did check with the local police. The bike path should be stopping and waiting for car/truck traffic to clear in order to cross. Both for people on bikes and runners/joggers.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:How about glass (Score:3, Insightful)
OTOH, as a cyclist, I've been hit once and nearly hit twice in the past year by cars rolling through their stop sign when the road I was on had no stop signs (including for the bike lane, where applicable).
It pisses me off, yes, but I don't go about sabotaging their vehicles, much less every vehicle of another class on the road. Maybe you should grow up a bit -- you don't sound like you have any business piloting a lethal missile on public roadways.
Re:How about glass (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the wrong stat to be looking at. Recycled aluminum uses much less energy than producing new aluminum because aluminum production requires huge amounts of energy. So aluminum may only require 5% of its creation energy to recycle, but that's 5% of a huge number. Glass' 95% to recycle is 95% of a small number.
You want to be comparing the raw amount of energy needed to recycle. How many joules for a glass bottle, how many joules for an aluminum can.
Crops (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:How about glass (Score:5, Insightful)
In which case the bottle would be the least of your worries.