# Is it time for Soda to resume using returnable Glass Bottles and charge a deposit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 31, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938 "2019-07-31T17:29:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/61 "2019-08-03T22:06:00Z")
Found a pic from a eBay auction. You can see how thin the bottle was: [https://ibb.co/gJr6wPL](https://ibb.co/gJr6wPL) IIRC, the company went out of business because not enough people were returning the bottles (so much for recycling) and it was too expensive to bring new ones in from the mainland. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/62 "2019-08-03T22:45:57Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > … > > Also, as stated, glass costs more to transport, takes more space on store shelves and more fragile (lost sales) which means higher cost to the consumer. Plastic has a higher cost to the environment, which means all of us. And then there’s aluminum cans. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/63 "2019-08-03T22:48:19Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > The contents of a glass bottle is cheap. What costs is moving the material around and melting/molding them. That’s a lot of energy which is likely to produce greenhouse gases. Glass is one of the least green recycling materials around. > > Note that one downside of plastic bottles is keeping them separate in the waste stream. If you can sort out #2 plastic bottles easily then you can actually make money on them. That’s a win for plastics. > > Glass needs to be sorted as well. So that’s a tie there. > > But plastic is going to need a lot less energy to move around and melt/mold again and the material is more valuable. So plastic wins overall. > > Think about that. Nope. Look broken glass bottles in the ocean mean either beach glass or sand. Plastic means pollutants, and dead things. Other than the deposit, plastic isnt really economical to recycle anymore. Glass is made some sand or other glass, plastic is dead dinosaurs= oil. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/64 "2019-08-03T23:08:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It’s interesting that beer has never shifted to plastic. > > It’s still aluminum or glass. My city won’t accept glass in the recycle bin. ☹ > > Thank goodness the beer industry isn’t churning out tons of plastic. Plastic beer bottles are limited runs for special occasions. Outdoor concerts at the Casino(s)\*. Beer does not keep well in plastic and has a very short shelf life. Sorry if too clunky [Why Beer Isn't Sold in Plastic Bottles](https://gizmodo.com/why-beer-isnt-sold-in-plastic-bottles-1629207952) \*Rowdy drunks like to throw/break glass bottles. Cans aren’t safe either. They also served beer on tap in red solo cups. Most people bought the plastic bottles. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/65 "2019-08-03T23:37:55Z")
> [@Qwakkeddup](#): > > Plastic beer bottles are limited runs for special occasions. Outdoor concerts at the Casino(s)\*. Beer does not keep well in plastic and has a very short shelf life. Maybe it depends where you are? In Europe I have seen plenty of Obolon beer in plastic bottles, and that’s the largest manufacturer in Europe. And who knows how many 3-liter bottles of Frosty Jack and what not are sold every year. So the beer industry is still churning out tons of plastic. ETA according to the Baltic Times, plastic bottles were well on the way to overtaking cans in 2004: [Price war pushes beer into plastic bottles](https://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/9633/) 14% plastic, 64% glass ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/66 "2019-08-04T01:06:40Z")
Read this a while back: “As nifty as the idea of beer in plastic bottles seems, there are several reasons why you don’t see shelves stocked with plastic beer bottles — at least in the U.S. In Europe, it’s a common enough practice. The most important reason, though, is that beer bottled in glass simply tastes better, at least to most people.” “And still another consideration — most beer sold commercially in the U.S. goes through a pasteurization process after it’s bottled, but before it gets loaded on a truck and sent to your local store. The bottles go through a machine that douses them in boiling water and/or steam to kill any bacteria that might have made it through the brewing and packaging processes alive. Glass can easily withstand that heat. Plastic can’t.” Source: [https://www.polymersolutions.com/blog/why-is-beer-not-in-plastic-bottles/](https://www.polymersolutions.com/blog/why-is-beer-not-in-plastic-bottles/) Pasteurization - Same reason why we don’t have raw milk and certain cheeses, even from Canada can’t be brought into the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/67 "2019-08-04T02:31:31Z")
Most of what I know was from the rep who delivered the beer. They (Budweiser IIRC) would love to go to plastic exclusively. It is cheaper, lighter, less dangerous. The public prefers glass and cans. The taste perception is part of short shelf life. The taste degraded faster in plastic. So plastic bottles were on demand only, you only get what you ordered\*, and it shouldn’t be more than a week or so old when it arrives at the event. This was in the early 2000’s \*Edit to add, That is why there was supplemental on tap beer stands. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/68 "2019-08-04T04:11:39Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Maybe it depends where you are? In Europe I have seen plenty of Obolon beer in plastic bottles, and that’s the largest manufacturer in Europe. And who knows how many 3-liter bottles of Frosty Jack and what not are sold every year. So the beer industry is still churning out tons of plastic. > > ETA according to the Baltic Times, plastic bottles were well on the way to overtaking cans in 2004: [Price war pushes beer into plastic bottles](https://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/9633/) 14% plastic, 64% glass I did notice this line in the article > [@](#): > > Estonian breweries are introducing plastic beer bottles in a bid to lure back thrifty consumers who have been buying up cheap Russian and Ukrainian imports. and this one > [@](#): > > Also, I think the bad taste thing is untrue, one would have to be a real connoisseur to ever know the difference. from someone who thought plastic bottles were great, you could drink a little , cap them and put them down without worrying about them tipping over. IME, someone who says you’d have to “be a real connoisseur to ever know the difference” usually does notice the difference , but cares about something else more than the taste. Like how to get drunk while spending as little as possible, or maybe just spending as little as possible - if that’s your target customer, go ahead and put it in plastic. But that’s unlikely to be most beers. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/69 "2019-08-04T04:47:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Glass is made some sand or other glass, plastic is dead dinosaurs= oil. The hydrocarbons used in the making of plastic bottles are considered waste products created during refining. You’d prefer those waste products simply be dumped somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/70 "2019-08-04T06:53:27Z")
actually in CA the kids “squeezeable” juice bottles (this is the most common brand [mondo punch - Bing](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=KDVJtVIN&id=DE9D74ED7FE98CEC29DB6B284A23D4C64CB00973&thid=OIP.KDVJtVINdtDGxWEGrq6hYgHaIO&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fjelsert.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2018%2f09%2fMondo-Primo-Punch.png&exph=1024&expw=922&q=mondo+punch&simid=608041564226388590&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0) but kool-aid and other brands have them also) are worth more than clear plastic and glass … but youd be paying 60 cents or more CRV for a 12 pack of bottles plus the deposit ace wants …, no one here would go for it heres everything ya need to know about crv [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - CalRecycle Home Page](https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/bevcontainer/programinfo/faq/) and heres what the stores are supposed to charge when you buy it [https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/docs/cr/BevContainer/Retailers/CRVCompute.pdf](https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/docs/cr/BevContainer/Retailers/CRVCompute.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/71 "2019-08-04T11:09:39Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I did notice this line in the article and this one > > from someone who thought plastic bottles were great, you could drink a little , cap them and put them down without worrying about them tipping over. IME, someone who says you’d have to “be a real connoisseur to ever know the difference” usually does notice the difference , but cares about something else more than the taste. Like how to get drunk while spending as little as possible, or maybe just spending as little as possible - if that’s your target customer, go ahead and put it in plastic. But that’s unlikely to be most beers. It’s funny, but a couple of years ago in Kiev I noticed that many brands of beer was sold in plastic bottles, and again a few months ago when I was in Lviv (a beautiful, historic city in Western Ukraine, near the Polish border) I again noticed that nearly half of the beers in the liquor stores were in plastic, but here in Poland, as well as about everywhere in Western Europe, beer in plastic is probably less than 5% of the available market, and exclusively relegated to cheap, “low status”, high alcohol brands seemingly aimed at the Homeless Alcoholic market segment, not unlike brands like Steel Reserve or Olde English 800 are in the USA. If someone tells you that beer in plastic bottles is common in Western Europe, they are flat-out wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938.md?page=3)