What Happens Next to Plastic Bottles
Recycled plastic bottles are used for all sorts of new products. They also are shipped all over the world, with Asia taking a large percentage of the recycled material. Some products made from recycled plastic bottles include:
- Kayaks
- Fleece pullovers
- School lunch trays
- Patio decks
- Park benches
- Railroad ties
- Yo-yos
Recycling bottles is not the only action companies are taking to help fix the waste problem. While the idea of an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic water bottles might seem like a marketing ploy, some bottled water producers are trying to reduce their yearly (and somewhat staggering) contribution of petroleum-based bottles to landfills.
What’s Out There
- Poland Springs introduced the new “eco-shape bottle,” which according to the Poland Springs site, “is made with 30 percent less plastic than the average half-liter bottle.”
- Pepsi unveiled a new bottle that uses 20 percent less plastic and smaller labels.
- Biota Spring Water took the eco-friendly water bottle to a new level: its bottles are made from corn and biodegrade in as little as 12 weeks.
- Both the Sierra Club and Democracy in Action launched campaigns to encourage people to drink tap water, the most eco-friendly water of all.
These alternatives are great outlets to explore, even when recycling is an option. Water bottles still require intensive energy to be produced, transported and consumed. Plastic water bottles do not biodegrade and even when plastic is recycled, it is “downcycled” each time into a lower quality plastic.
