According to the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), in 2010 the United States generated almost 14 million tons of plastics as containers and packaging. Plastic packaging is so cheap and convenient that most items bought at the grocery store can be found wrapped up in it. We know plastic grocery bags aren’t the green choice so what’s up with plastic packaging?

“When I was a kid, Johnson & Johnson shampoo came in a glass bottle”, mentions Loretta Wallace and it’s true! Before plastic, most containers, jars, and bottles were made out of glass but unlike plastic, it’s heavy and breakable. The good news? Glass packaging has become lighter thoughout the years, which means it takes less fuel and lower emissions to transport them than it used to. Glass used for food and beverage containers is also 100% recyclable and can be recycled over and over without ever losing its quality, a glass bottle can always be turned back into a glass bottle!  

As for plastic, it has become a lot lighter over the years too. Have you noticed how thin plastic water bottles are today? The neck of plastic bottles have also gotten a lot smaller and shorter. This allows for more to be shipped at once, contributing to less energy and fuel being used during transportation. 

However, plastic in general is much lighter than glass so when it comes to distributing, plastic containers have a better transportation footprint. The manufacturing of plastic on the other hand has some downfalls. For one, creating plastic releases toxic emissions into the air and unlike glass, plastic that has been recycled generally loses its quality over time and has to be downcycled into another item. This means that new plastic packaging for bottles or containers must be manufactured from raw materials a lot sooner than glass containers do.

Unfortunately, for now, it doesn’t seem like plastic is going anywhere in the packaging business. There are a few things retailers can do to help minimize plastics environmental impacts, such as, evaluating the use of the package, increasing the recycled content, and using less material. What can you do to help minimize plastics impacts? The three R’s of course: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYLE! Try reducing the the amount of plastic packaging in your home by being more concious of items and their packaging at stores. Reuse containers and try out a reusable water bottle. Finally, recycle! Plastic pollution litters streets and streams which is unhealthy for us, the environment, and is also harmful to wildlife.