Plastic vs Glass

I was grocery shopping with a friend recently. When I was inspecting my purchasing choices for maple syrup I mentioned that I prefer to buy things in glass bottles rather than in plastic. Upon my friend’s inquiry as to why that is I simply replied, “ because I’m a treehugger” half apologetically. As I was thinking about this exchange later in the day, I thought my friend did seem genuinely interested in my reasoning yet I did not explain it to her. I feel I missed an opportunity to educate. So, here goes…

Why I Prefer to Buy Products that are Packaged in Glass Containers Rather than in Plastic:

1) Glass is more reusable and recyclable than plastic, therefore better for the environment.

2) Glass can be recycled endlessly without losing strength. I reuse glass jars as drinking glasses, food storage containers, and craft projects.

3) Glass is made of sand and few other readily available domestic products while plastic is made out of oil and many other chemicals. Who knows what is leaching from plastic containers into the food I feed my family?

4) Plastics lose strength when they are recycled.

5) Many plastics can not be recycled due to additives such as dyes.

6) Plastic is being produced at alarming speed and most of it will remain on Earth for 100s of years.

7) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a huge conglomeration of ocean debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Plastic contributes in very large part to ocean pollution. To learn more simply go to youtube.com and search for “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” You will find a plethora of footage on the subject.

So, in an effort to my small part in reducing the demand for plastic containers which would in turn reduce production of plastic containers, I buy glass instead when I can.