Plastic Bottles Holding 2.3 Litres are Least Harmful to the Planet
upstart writes in with an IRC submission:
Plastic bottles holding 2.3 litres are least harmful to the planet:
Using plastic bottles that contain the most liquid for the lowest packaging weight could help reduce plastic waste.
Plastic pollution is a huge problem for the world, with much plastic waste reaching the oceans where it can affect marine life.
In recognition of this, many researchers are developing strategies to tackle the plastic waste problem. Now, Rafael Becerril-Arreola at the University of South Carolina and his colleagues have come up with a relatively simple method to make a difference: change the packaging size to maximise its capacity for a given weight of plastic.
"We realised we could establish a relationship between supermarket beverage sales and plastic waste," says Becerril-Arreola. "I saw the opportunity to create an impact, and I took it."
[...] Becerril-Arreola says he hopes these findings encourage consumers to switch to more efficient bottles to help reduce plastic waste. "It's going to be tricky," he says. "It's a matter of awareness. We cannot expect corporations to make plastic bottles more efficient themselves."
Journal Reference:
R. Becerril-Arreola, R. E. Bucklin. Beverage bottle capacity, packaging efficiency, and the potential for plastic waste reduction [open], Scientific Reports (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82983-x)
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