In an effort to reduce single-use plastic waste, companies have been testing the use of aluminum cans and bottles instead of mass-produced PEP bottles. But is the shift really what it makes itself out to be?
The article below will give you a wide view of aluminum bottles and why you would want to use them! Read on!
The Benefits Of Using Water In Aluminum Cans & Bottles
You are already familiar with the presence of aluminum cans and bottles for drinks such as soda, juice, tea, and especially beer! The format is no stranger to us consumers, so why is the notion of aluminum-canned water still a weird concept for the current market?
Believe it or not, aluminum cans and bottles as alternative containers for water have already been brimming on the idea board of major beverage companies for a long while. Aluminum is easily recyclable, durable, and very light, so it suffices for water containers. But don’t take our words for it. Let’s explore the benefits of water in aluminum bottles and cans.
1. Recyclability:
Currently, aluminum is the drink container material with the highest rate of recycling in the current market. Specifically, half the bulk of returned cans and bottles of these materials are put through the process of rebirth into new items and new containers. Once you have switched to using an aluminum bottle for your hydration, you encourage companies to reduce their waste in the environment!
Moreover, the procedure for recycling aluminum is also quite efficient. Aluminum can be melted down with ease and be made into a new product to enter the market again, with nearly no scraps left behind! The products made from second-grade aluminum are not as high quality as the original material as they are not as versatile, but they are still easily crafted and used!
Downcycling is a natural part of the recycling process for any material globally, so it is definitely expected for aluminum. Companies are inventing new ways for containers to have less plastic for package liners and can rings so that you can look forward to that in the future!
If you are opting for using aluminum cans and bottles for your everyday water, you are taking part in reducing the amount of plastic floating around in the sea!
2. Durability & Weight:
If we are just considering recyclability alone, glass is also an option, as you can buy one bottle and reuse it near indefinitely. But once you have added glass bottles into your daily routine, you will know the annoyance of trying to tip-toe around your bag. Otherwise, you will arrive home with a bunch of shards in your backpack later. Glass is pretty heavy as well.
Aluminum is the easy solution to this problem, as the metal is very well-known for being durable and lightweight. Specifically, those who have tested the use of aluminum containers in their day-to-day lives find it very convenient. The container is great to be carried about, yet never spills, even when it is squeezed. That is simply how versatile aluminum can be in bottle design!
Nevertheless, aluminum has another advantage over plastic – another commonly used material for drinks. During hot days, plastic bottles tend to crinkle and change shape very easily. They tend to fall out of the sleeve you have put them in. On the other hand, aluminum doesn’t wrinkle under pressure even when it is under harsh weather conditions.
Integrating aluminum cans into your drinks will also save you from so many embarrassing accidents regarding your beverages!
3. Short Recycle Loop:
Aluminum goes through the recycling process very smoothly, which plays into the material’s advantage over others currently available on the market. The process takes a mere two months at best for the final product to enter the consumer’s reach once more, which is a duration massively shorter than that of plastic!
In detail, the process of aluminum recycling consists of three major steps:
- Collection: Aluminum cans and bottles that have spent their time in circulation are stocked and transported to the processing units.
- Label removal: People will then attempt to peel off the label of companies first. After that, they will sink the cans in strong acid to engravings and carvings to leave the can’s surface. Arguably, this makes the material weaker but not by much, so the material can still enter circulation once more.
- Melt: Before entering the furnace, the cans and bottles will be crushed into little bits for easy melting. The furnace will include burning coals to reach aluminum’s melting temperature point, from which people will place molds for the melted liquid to flow.
Extracting aluminum from natural ores can be quite challenging, expensive, and environmentally polluting since you will have to fish the metal out from the mixture of materials floating in the molten liquid. With already produced ingots from circulated material, workers will skip the step of filtering and head the ingots straight to the furnace!
All in all, aluminum bottles and cans are economically advantageous to recycle, lightweight and durable, and easy to reproduce. It is simply marvelous that beverage companies are implementing this material into their packaging, as it will benefit them as well as us in the long run.
Outro:
Major companies are taking their charge into green products and packaging territory, but they are not the one who makes purchase decision for you! Now armed with the new knowledge of the benefits of using water in aluminum cans and bottles, what do you plan on doing now? Will you start using them instead of the plastic ones? Let us know in the comments below!
