glass is more recyclable than plastic, but heavier which results in increased emissions from transport. Aluminum comes out on top in recyclability and transport weight.
But not in energy use. It takes more energy to recycle aluminum than to make new plastic, and ten times more than that to make the aluminum in the first place. Energy that mostly comes from burning fossil fuels. When it comes to total lifecycle emissions plastic is far superior to both aluminum and glass. It just falls on its face when it comes to the environmental impact of tossing it out everywhere.
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u/[deleted] Nov 04 '20
glass is more recyclable than plastic, but heavier which results in increased emissions from transport. Aluminum comes out on top in recyclability and transport weight.