Plastic beverage bottles… Invented in the late ‘60’s/early 70’s by Nathaniel Wyeth, it is labeled by the Number 1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE). It is the safest plastic for food storage as it does not leak any chemicals (that we know of so far), and is 100% recyclable. Even so, only an average of 27% of PET plastic bottles are recycled every year, which logically means that 73% is either sitting in a landfill, sitting on land somewhere, or floating in the Ocean. It takes 17 million barrels of oil to manufacture the amount of bottles that Americans demand every year.
When doing an internet search, we found hundred of instances of people asking, “Why can’t I recycle my plastic bottles?” and the answer is: money. Many states actually have to send collected plastic bottles to neighboring states because they don’t have any kind of facility to do the job. REFUSE is not ok with using more fossil fuels to recycle processed fossil fuels. And besides, at the rate we’re recycling, we could never keep up with the demand for more plastic.
The people, government officials, and even manufacturers often try to bring about an increase in the recycling rate of this particular type of plastic, but the fact remains that, because it is meant to be a disposable product, there exists no value in the bottle. Couple that with absolutely no accountability- not for the people, not for government officials, and not for manufacturers- and we are left with the sad fact that it is not a top priority to recycle PET plastics.
As always, REFUSE believes that Recycling is a good option, but REFUSING is a better one.
Sodas are bad for you! Did you know that? I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times, but we’re here to help you STOP using plastic bottles, and we believe the health of the body is just as important as the health of our Earth.
The ingredients in soda rack up to a whole-lotta good-for nothin’: sugar (bad for your teeth and heart; tends to lead to diabetes; no nutritional value; causes you to gain weight), carbonated water (bad for your teeth), artificial coloring (bad for your teeth and some organs), and caffeine on many occasions (bad for your heart, a diuretic and stimulant, addictive). In general, soda can lead to weight problems, heart problems, diabetes, rotting teeth, osteoporosis, hyper activity (especially in kids) which can lead to behavior problems, and a whole-lot-longer dirty laundry list.
Diet soda is actually worse for you, despite what we've been led to believe in the past. Author of The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children, Carol Simontacchi, states, “One liter of an aspartame-sweetened beverage can produce about fifty-six milligrams of methanol. When several of these beverages are consumed in a short period of time (one day, perhaps), as much as two hundred fifty milligrams of methanol are dumped into the bloodstream, or thirty-two times the EPA limit.”
Basically, with diet soda, you’ve traded calories for cancer-causing chemicals.
Here’s a scary study: this year, 2011, The American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles presented findings on a study that followed 2,500 New Yorkers for 9+ years, who drank diet soda every day. They found a 61% higher risk of vascular events, including stroke and heart attack, than those who completely eschewed the diet drinks, according to the study.
If it weren’t for its deliciousness, people would be rallying to ban this foul substance.
Ok, stepping off the anti-soda soapbox. We know that more than just soda comes in plastic bottles- juices, water, teas, and other beverages also come to us packaged in PET plastic bottles.
What can you do to REFUSE the use of plastic bottles?
Despite all those nasty facts listed above, we know that most people will continue to drink sodas. A more environmentally responsible option than the plastic bottles is aluminum cans. It is a sustainable metal that can infinitely be recycled. Purchasing and recycling aluminum cans contributes to a 95% reduction in the energy used from raw ore deposits, and aluminum cans distinguish themselves as the most recycled and most recyclable beverage container in the world. 105,784 cans are recycled every minute nationwide, and can be returned for usage in just 60 days, which means you could very well be drinking from the “same” can 6 times a year!
Here are some more really astounding facts about recycling aluminum cans:
Another option is to stop drinking sodas altogether (your doctor will love you, especially your dentist) and drink more water. No, not bottled water. FILTERED water. An in-home filtration system can range anywhere from $20 to $2,000 depending on your needs. And get this: bottled water costs on average 0.79¢ per gallon, whereas water filtered in your home costs on average 0.02¢ per gallon. That’s a whopping 0.77¢ SAVINGS per gallon.
If that doesn’t convert ya, I don’t know what will!
If you're wondering how you can tote your awesome filtered water along with you, outside the doors of your home, we like Nalgene, who offeres a Number 7 plastic bottle made from recycled materials, as well as a metal bottle option. They even have ways to further filter your beautiful, clear agua. We've linked the word "Nalgene" with the page about environmental responsibility, which we really liked.
There are lots of other companies out there concerned with the number of disposable plastic bottles we're using every year, who offer better alternatives. Remember, if you're going to go with a plastic reusable water bottle, check that is is BPA free.
As a side note, here's a pretty cool video of someone Reusing plastic bottles to help less fortunate people see in their homes. We like helping others.
Thanks for reading, and we hope you will REFUSE the use of PET plastic bottles with us!!!
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