Making the switch to a reusable water bottle is one of the most significant changes an individual can make to cut down on single-use plastic waste. That change can be even more profound if a business decides to switch to a bottleless water cooler that employees can use to refill their reusable bottles. When it comes to choosing the right type of reusable water bottle, there are lots of choices. Two of the most popular options are glass and metal, and both of these choices have their positives and negatives. Consumers and businesses alike need to weigh the pros and cons of both options to see what meets their needs best. Here are some of the more important factors to consider before choosing between glass and metal reusable bottles.
Water Taste
One of the first things to think about is what the water will taste like when drinking from a given bottle. The winner here is almost always glass, as it adds no flavor whatsoever to its contents. This means that most people will pick glass when it comes to flavor alone. Metal can give an off flavor to the water it holds, especially if it heats up on a hot summer day. This is not something most people want to have if they have a more sensitive palate. Glass wins almost all arguments if people are considering what they purchase for flavor.
Durability Considerations
Consumers obviously want to buy items that will last them as long as possible, because this means they get more for their money. Glass is well known for breaking if an accident happens. There are ways to make glass items more durable by using higher quality or thicker glass, but these upgrades would make a bottle more expensive and heavier to carry. On the other hand, most metals are well known for being both lightweight and durable. Stainless steel and aluminum bottles can be made very thin and still hold up to impact, keeping the contents safe no matter the conditions. This category goes to metal every time.
Recycling Issues
Both metal and glass are well known for their ability to be recycled. The difference is whether people and recycling facilities are going to do this. Glass is easy to get into the recycling cycle, but metal depends on people sending it to be recycled and companies paying to get this metal. It becomes a headache that there are so many programs to handle this, yet so small a market to actually keep the economy from going green. Glass wins this category because of corporate issues. Metal containers are more likely to be recycled if they are exclusively made out of aluminum.
Both Options Make a Difference
These are the top three factors to consider when trying to choose between the top two types of reusable water bottles. There are many other questions to ask, such as the type of glass or metal that is used for the container. Regardless of the material used, however, all reusable water bottles are an excellent purchase. Filling containers straight from the tap rather than constantly buying single-use water bottles is less expensive in many ways, and it has the ability to save landfills for other uses that can be far better for all. This is one of the biggest changes people can do now.
