Cutting Beverage Container Waste, A to Z:

Help Bring Back Refillables

Refillable glass beverage bottles have been phased out in the United States, with small exceptions for local micro-brew beers and specialty soda brands, comprising less than 1% of the national market.

In other parts of the world, however, refillable beverage containers are going strong. In Ontario, for example, 95% of the beer sold is packaged in refillable glass bottles. Refillable beverage bottles are also common in many European and South American countries.

Many are considerably different from the heavy glass bottles you may remember from your youth—if you’re over 50, that is! In Scandinavia and Germany, refillable PET plastic bottles for water, soda, juice, and beer, are sturdy, attractive, and accommodate a variety of beverage types.

Bringing refillables back in the U.S. would be a huge challenge, since the industry is so centralized, but it is a battle well worth fighting for the environmental benefits.

Some links:

• The Container Recycling Institute’s refillables webpage
• “Reduce, Reuse, Refill,” Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s report on refillables
• Brewers of Canada (especially their environment webpage)
• Refillables info for Prince Edward Island (Canada) and Environment Canada