Page 33 - Plastics News August 2019

FEATURES

Green Alliance reports shift from plastic will also harm environment

new study by UK-based independent think tank and 2018 as the public
Acharity Green Alliance has highlighted that the use became more aware
of different materials instead of plastic will also cause of the impacts of our
different environmental problems. throwaway society.
In the bottled water market, several packaging options But so far, people
such as single-use cans, glass bottles or cartons are now are mainly targeting
available.Titled ‘Losing the bottle: why we don’t need single-use plastic and
single-use containers for water’, the research noted that the concern hasn’t
XVLQJ UHÀOODEOH FRQWDLQHUV DUH WKH RQO\ ORZ LPSDFW RSWLRQ translated to other
for the bottled water market. materials, which also have environmental consequences.
Using plastic alternatives such as aluminium cans could “If we don’t need single-use plastic water bottles, we
FUHDWH HQRXJK WR[LF ZDVWH WR ÀOO WKH 5R\DO $OEHUW +DOO VL[ also don’t need single-use cans, cartons or glass bottles
times, glass bottles could create as many emissions as are IRU ZDWHU µ
created by a population the size of Bath, and cartons can The study recommends that using high-quality tap water
ÀOO QHDUO\ ELQ ORUULHV ZLWK ORZ TXDOLW\ FRQWDLQHUV DQG D UHÀOODEOH ERWWOH FDQ KDYH D ORZHU FDUERQ LPSDFW
that cannot be recycled. on the environment than switching to other single-use
According to the study, the usage of bottled water has container types. Peake added: “The good news is, it’s
doubled in the past 15 years in the UK with the average easy to do the right thing when it comes to drinking water
adult using 150 single-use plastic water bottles a year. DQG WKH HQYLURQPHQW 7DS ZDWHU LQ UHÀOODEOH FRQWDLQHUV
Green Alliance resources senior policy adviser Libby is the most sustainable option, and is hundreds of times
Peake said: “‘Single-use’ was named word of the year in FKHDSHU WR ERRW µ

33 August 2019 Plastics News