ponderings from the dairy aisle

[cellio]

Most of the time (where I shop), milk comes in plastic containers. Occasionally, it comes in the waxy cardboard ones instead. Last night I actually had a choice, and realized I don't know which one is more green. Plastic can be recycled (good) and the cardboard can't, but I have the impression that producing the plastic container is more destructive to the environment -- and, of course, you also have to factor in the costs of recycling. Trash in a landfill also imposes a cost, and means that cost of production is borne entirely by one use. Overall, I don't know which one is less bad.

Which would you buy?

Comments

[miz-hatbox.livejournal.com]

My city recycles both, but I tend to buy soy milk in shelf-stable packaging (which my city also recycles).

If I were in your shoes, I would buy the plastic for these reasons:
*landfill space (which you already mentioned)
*there's a market for textiles made from recycled plastic (and look! I'm wearing some now!), and the fact that there's an existing market for it means that the cost of recycling is somewhat covered by the purchase of the finished product. I'm not claiming that this makes plastic the hands-down greenest choice of all--I don't know all the issues from the initial manufacture to finished product--but it's a thought.

You might also contact your city to suggest that they start recycling the other types of packaging.

[cellio]

there's a market for textiles made from recycled plastic

*boggle*

Never heard of that before; thanks for the informaiton.

[miz-hatbox.livejournal.com]

well, strictly speaking it's soda bottles but I'm not sure if it's the same thing. Anyway, it's cool:

[cellio]

Ah. I've heard of Polartec but didn't know what it was made out of.