The role of plastic in our daily life is huge. No matter how hard you try, you cannot diminish the role of plastics.
Food containers, medicine containers, car interiors, laptops, mobile phones, etc. are all made of plastic.
Plastics have many advantages, but their excessive use also threatens the environment.According to the UN environment, one million bottles are bought every minute.
Every year, more than 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide. Half of the plastics are made to be thrown away after one use.
Throwing away plastics without considering their recycling conditions causes many problems. Therefore, many measures should be taken in lifestyle and efforts to recycle these plastics.
PET or PETE or polyethylene terephthalate is a type of strong fiber made from ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid.
It can be said that almost every plastic water bottle in the world is made of PET. But what are the characteristics of this material that make it a popular packaging material, especially for food?
In addition to being light, containers made with PET do not react with food. They are unbreakable and cost-effective in terms of safety for food, beverage, medicinal applications, personal care, etc. It has been recognized by the world's health authorities.
The most important reason that PET bottles are used is its recyclability.
100% recycling of this polymer has caused it to be used in various industries such as car parts, construction materials, packaging materials, etc.
Comparison of PET bottles against glass bottles
Can jars be used for food and beverage packaging?
The answer is yes, but glass cannot be considered as a substitute for PET. In fact, products made with PET have advantages that products made with glass have not had until now.
Glass bottles can be re-sterilized by boiling and reused, but the same is true for PET bottles.
Why are glass containers unsafe for long-term food storage?
It is not suitable to store food in glass containers for a long time and this is due to the growth of biofilms.
What is biofilm? Biofilms are called microbial accumulation. They are a collection of one or more microorganisms that grow on different surfaces.
Microorganisms forming biofilm
Bacteria / Fungi / Protists
Another factor that makes glass bottles not suitable for storing food is durability. Bottles made with PET are much more durable than plastic or glass bottles. The most obvious feature of glass bottles is their fragility
Glass bottles are 20 times heavier and 5 times more expensive than PET bottles.
If we want to compare PET bottles and glass bottles in terms of environmental effects The production of PET bottles has less impact on the environment than glass. During the production of glass, carbon dioxide is released, which causes air pollution.
Comparison of PET bottles and stainless steel bottles
Stainless steel bottles definitely have many advantages, some of which we mention:
Stainless steel bottles are resistant to corrosion / do not release chemicals / 100% recyclable.
But their high price compared to PET bottles / being heavy to transport / not being able to see the liquid inside are among the disadvantages that can be said about them.
