Quote:
Originally Posted by Toy Soldier
It's energy (and thus carbon) intensive to smelt sand into glass, and the amount of sand needed to fulfil the world glass needs even NOW is causing coastline erosion. If plastic was totally replaced by glass, you'd be tripling-or-more the glass production requirements.
Its also significantly heavier than plastic, which means you need more vehicles (at least double) to ship the same volume of produce, which again adds to emissions.
The argument is that it can be recycled or reused and is therefore better, but there wouldn't be a problem with plastic if people were recycling it. The reason that it's a problem is that people are NOT recycling. Why would anyone think people are suddenly going to start recycling glass?
Its marginally better in the short term because of the immediate threat that plastics pose to the ocean, but glass as a long term solution just isn't sensible or viable.
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There may be energy saving smelting methods, for a young bloke you sound very negative about the future and our sustainability, luckily there are innovative people looking for solutions to the world's problems let's have a bit of faith eh?
Greener transport could offset the costs of shipping, lower consumption, use other products like recycled card for packaging .. there are many ways to make small changes that may have a big impact.
Many do recycle, incentives as said like money of more products could well work or cause others to benefit from the scheme. I remember when aluminium recycling was popular it worked out a penny a can or something, there were people walking around picking them off the streets rooting in bins. Where there's muck there's brass!
It may not be THE solution but it is A solution. Rome wasn't built, destroyed and rebuilt in a day.