PET water bottles: ideal for stocking up
Stocking up on food has become topical once again in these times of crisis. In addition to items with a long shelf life such as tinned foods, pasta and rice, we need to think about the most important thing of all – making sure we have sufficient supplies of drinking water for everyone in the household, ideally in PET bottles.
We are all familiar with the Scout motto of ‘Be prepared’. And increasing numbers of people are endeavouring to live in accordance with this motto and be prepared for unexpected life situations. The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/21 has shown us that there are very good reasons for doing so. To be well prepared, we should think about the most important matter first. Water is an elementary food and is far more crucial in the short term than solids. Without drinking any water, a person can only survive for a maximum of four days. According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE), a healthy person needs on average 1.5 litres of water a day. Stocking up on bottled water at home therefore makes sense. Tap water is not suitable for this as it can only be made to last if chemicals are used.
PET bottles are light to transport and save space
The best method is to have a supply of water in PET bottles. Water bottled in PET is significantly lighter than water in glass bottles. This makes shopping easier. With ALPLA, the tare weight of a 1.5-litre PET bottle is 34 grams. Two empty 0.75-litre glass bottles weigh around 1,000 grams. You have to carry little more than 1.5 kilograms of weight to take home 1.5 litres of water in PET bottles. In the case of glass bottles, it is more than 2.5 kilograms – and this doesn’t even include the weight of the reusable beverage crate. The most practical approach is to buy a six-pack of 1.5-litre bottles. Thin plastic film with a handle makes these easier to carry. PET bottles also take up the least space in your store cupboard. The packs can be stacked either upright or on their sides – it doesn’t get more simple or more efficient than this. In daily life too, a large supply of water is crucial to making things easier, especially for large households.
If you buy a week’s worth of supplies for a family of four, at a daily requirement of 1.5 litres per person, this amounts to 42 litres of water. The weights you will have to carry and store vary greatly.
Mineral water in 0.75-litre glass bottles:
- Weight: 70 kg plus beverage crates
- Number of bottles: 56
Mineral water in 1.5-litre PET bottles:
- Weight: 43 kg
- Number of bottles: 42
Water supplies remain fresh for a very long time
Many producers state that their mineral water is practically non-perishable in unopened bottles. Bottled under hygienic conditions, this food has a very long shelf life. It is important that the water not be exposed to sunlight when stored and that it ideally be stored in a cool place.
The environment benefits from PET too
Anyone wishing to be eco-friendly in the way that they shop can’t go wrong with PET bottles. The energy consumed for their production and transportation is significantly less than the energy consumption for glass bottles. And one aspect is frequently overlooked – energy is needed every time reusable glass bottles are taken back to the bottler and also when they are washed. The washing process also uses a lot of water. The fact that PET can be very easily recycled further improves the environmental footprint of recycled PET. The bottles should be used as often as possible by means of what’s known as bottle-to-bottle recycling. In a subsequent product life, PET can be used for the manufacture of pipes, films or textiles. And even at the end of its life cycle, this plastic is sustainable. When incinerated, the material can be used to generate electricity or heating.
(Author: Claudia Wörner, yes or no.)
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