Pepsi in a can or pepsi in a recycled bottle

[KatyMac]

When out and about I normally decant Pepsi into an old bottle and take it with me but if I forget I try to but a can in the (potentially mistaken) belief that aluminium is more sustainable

Then today I saw Pepsi on a 100% recycled bottle

So which is more sustainable ?

Aluminium cans by a long way. Even if you dutifully sort your plastic bottles, it's quite common for them to end up in landfill anyway.
www.recyclingtoday.com/article/aluminum-cans-recycled-twice-plastic-bottles/

Thought so

Thanks

It depends on how many times you reuse the bottle.

Dozens perhaps hundreds - until they aren't clear anymore!

I don’t think you are meant to reuse disposable bottles because the plastic degrades and releases nasties into the drink - I know that’s not what you were asking but you could look into a flask or bottle designed to be reused?

@FlyingFlamingo why would the plastic degrade any faster if you reuse a bottle rather than with the original contents? I'm not sure if keep going if it to change colour though.

I can’t recall the exact detail but a chemist friend explained once that plastic bottles are designed to the original contents list of ingredients. Therefore when you put in I other things it can impact the plastic. We had been discussing it when making some cider. And she’d explained how we should use bottles previously containing alcohol for it

Cans are better because they can be recycled for longer.

Plastic bottles are recycled, but it's "downcycling", they don't make new plastic bottles, they make things like fleeces etc. Which is good, but not as good as recycling cans. Also such downcycled clothes shed microplastics.

So cans.