Health and environment: how many times is it advisable to reuse a plastic bottle?
A plastic water bottle is comfortable and light. We can take it with us and fill it several times, when we are around for a walk, but also in the daily workday. The question, however, arises: how many times can a plastic bottle be reused?
Are plastic bottles safe?
Plastic bottles are produced with raw materials for food use, so from this point of view there is no fear. Once this is established, however, a false myth is born: many believe that the number that is at the bottom of the bottles or plastic cups represent the number of reusables allowed. In reality that number represents the type of material of which the container is made and it is necessary for the collection centers to properly dispose of the waste.
What we see on the plastic water bottles is the number 1, which identifies the PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the lightest and most flexible type of plastic, which is used for most disposable containers. Although this plastic does not release substances that are harmful to health, the products packaged with it are nevertheless identified as single use. Consequently, by reusing them over the long term, they may lose their characteristics and be targeted by germs and bacteria more easily.
… and the environment?
After having taken into consideration the aspects concerning the safety of plastic bottles, the most important issue, that linked to theenvironmental pollution.
PET plastic it is not biodegradable: the average life of these bottles is estimated at a good 1000 years. A very long period to spend on our planet, considering that most of the bottles are not collected for recycling and end up polluting the environment, from the soil to the waters of the seas and rivers.
The plastic emergency is becoming more and more current and this is why many companies have taken a path plastic free, like NaturaSì, which eliminated plastic bottles from its offer, in favor of water dispensers and loose glass bottles.
How many times can a plastic bottle be reused?
So let's go back to the initial question: how many times can we reuse a plastic bottle? The answer at this point should be: never. Better to prefer other types of materials, such as the glass or the metal, washing them regularly, and maybe using water bottles to prune water around with us.
Did you happen to have no other choice? Reuse the plastic bottle so creative and give him one new life. Some idea?
Cut the bottle in half: the upper part can become a funnel, while the lower one a penholder to decorate. There are also those who use them to create mini greenhouses for the cultivation of small plants, palette for gardening or mangers for birds. The top for a plastic bottle? Help us recycle and dispose of other waste: a plastic bottle can in fact also be used for recovery of used oil, for example that of a frying or preservation of canned food, to transport it to the disposal center.
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