h20illusion, this one's for u...

http://www.bevnet.com/news/2007/09-0...la_recycle.asp

Now if they'd only figure out that they can make good margins on glass bottles and bring those back. heck, they can recycle those too.

Makes no sense that EVERY Coke commercial uses a glass bottle, but no one in the uS can bottle it in glass.

Ideally it would be great if Coca Cola could pull this off.
IMO, the actual percentage collected and used would be
around 10%.

What is the motivation for consumers to collect and return the bottles
to a store or drop off site? Plastic bottles usally get crushed and placed
in the kitchen garbage cans.

I totally agree. Soda-MN-Good. Why not go old school and do this with
glass? I say Glass In Mass. LOL

Glass bottles are better. Glass can be recycled again and again, but plastic can not be. Unless the process has improved greatly, plastic from bottles can't be used to make new bottles. After being melted and reformed, the plastic becomes more rigid and less durable.

The big players in the soft drink business prefer plastic because of it's durability and light weight. Lower cost trumps higher quality.

Weight is definately a concern. I'm sure the soda companies know how many thousands of gallons a year of fuel they save hauling plastic containers around compared to glass. Even NR glass is heavier. And requires greater care to avoid breakage.

And returnables, they gotta be hauled both directions, and the associated cost of handling the empties. That's added transportation and productivity costs. Take the high cost of fuel, and consider the way that soda production has become so large scale with huge central plants that serve large regions, the econimics of returnables is pretty much gone. If you could go back in time and force the gov't to make mandatory returnable bottle laws back in the 50s when there still were bottlers in most every county it might have remained economical. But not in today's world. Unfortunately.

Originally Posted by Android

Weight is definately a concern. I'm sure the soda companies know how many thousands of gallons a year of fuel they save hauling plastic containers around compared to glass. Even NR glass is heavier. And requires greater care to avoid breakage.

And returnables, they gotta be hauled both directions, and the associated cost of handling the empties. That's added transportation and productivity costs. Take the high cost of fuel, and consider the way that soda production has become so large scale with huge central plants that serve large regions, the econimics of returnables is pretty much gone. If you could go back in time and force the gov't to make mandatory returnable bottle laws back in the 50s when there still were bottlers in most every county it might have remained economical. But not in today's world. Unfortunately.

Can't a few of us old school soda pop freaks have a glass flash back.LOL
Intellectually you are 100% correct but perhaps the Big Three could find a way
to make "glass" work in a more economical way?

Just another reason why I love Coca-Cola and their products.

Actually, I think that glass bottles could be made to work on a limited scale. The demand is certainly present in the marketplace. Just look at how the glass bottled drinks from West Jefferson (NC) are sold at huge markups online. If the beverage companies each had handful of small bottling plants located around the country producing glass bottled drinks only, the demand could be met. The glass bottled drinks could be distributed alongside the drinks in plastic bottles and cans. With the plants scattered about, the drinks would not have to be transported very far. Also, the companies wouldn't have to provide enough glass bottles for all of their customers -- only the ones who want higher quality.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about returnables over the years. And glass. After all, I was the guy that used to drive from Colorado to places Iowa, Michigan and Montana just to get Pepsi and other products in returnable glass when it was still around. I wish it was still available and if Pepsi had come out with Pepsi Natural in NR glass this year as was projected last year, I'd be buying them and drinking them all the time. But obviously Pepsi didn't think it would work or something. I'd like to know why, and if it'll ever happen!

Good Margins? I think if they sold a 20oz glass bottle, at the current Wholesale price to the convenience trade of $22.00 a 24pk., there is enough margin there to go back to a non returnable glass bottle. However, there are no glass manufacturers in the US any longer so there would be huge supply issues. Coke and Pepsi had the right idea back in the early 1990's when they sold the "double dozen" 24 pk 16oz NR glass bottles. Plastic back then however was less expensive, now that plastic is the only option the PET companies have raised their cost to that of glass. We are stuck with a container with a landfill life of probably 2,000 years. Glass would at least break down to it's natural form. Silica over time.

Originally Posted by Soda-MN-Good

Now if they'd only figure out that they can make good margins on glass bottles and bring those back. heck, they can recycle those too.

Makes no sense that EVERY Coke commercial uses a glass bottle, but no one in the uS can bottle it in glass.