Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Which is Better: Glass, Plastic, or Paper?

In celebrating Earth day I thought this post will make us become a little more conscious when trowing away various packages. Compare the eco-impact of different packaging materials using this chart. For perspective: The average U.S. home burns 11,000 kilowatt hours of energy and produces 16,000 pounds of carbon dioxide through electricity use per year.

MaterialEnergy cost to produce $1,000 worthGreenhouse gases producedAmount recovered in 2007Landfill lifespanAlternatives
Glass containers6,944 kilowatt hours3,527 lbs.28%1 million yearsAlways recycle glass — otherwise your great- great-great grandkids might find a bottle you threw away.
Plastic containers (#1, #2, #5)3,889 kilowatt hours2,425 lbs.14%450 yearsReduce use of throwaways, and try to buy easily recyclable #1 and #2 plastics.
Plastic bags and film3,611 kilowatt hours2,270 lbs.10%500-1,000 yearsUse canvas grocery bags; wrap sandwiches in napkins.
Polystyrene foam peanuts3,333 kilowatt hours2,078 lbs.7%500 yearsCushion
fragile shipments with crumpled newspapers or magazines. Drop off
excess foam packaging peanuts at your local FedEx or UPS store.
Coated and uncoated paper bags3,889 kilowatt hours2,381 lbs.37%1 monthSwitch to reusable canvas bags, and always recycle paper bags.
Coated and laminated paper, including gift wrap, tissue, and butcher paper3,611 kilowatt hours2,151 lbs.Negligible2-5 monthsWrap gifts in newspaper comics pages or reusable fabric wraps.
Corrugated cardboard4,444 kilowatt hours2,645 lbs.74%1-2 monthsBuy packaging-free products. Reuse cardboard boxes and compost shredded cardboard.
Steel and aluminum cans, boxes, and other containers4,722 kilowatt hours3,262 lbs.54%

200-400 years

Fill reusable container at the bulk bins, and always recycle steel and aluminum containers.


Source: Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA), eiolca.net/copyright/index.html.