Plastic is one of the most widely used materials in the world. If we look for a minute at the things that surround us at this moment, surely we will find it in many of them.
About 300 million metric tons of plastic are produced each year, which can take between 100 and 1,000 years to decompose in the environment. For example, a plastic bottle takes around 500 years to break down. In addition, many of them end up in the world’s oceans, altering the entire ecosystem in them.
Against this there are 3 clear proposals that perhaps you have already heard: the famous 3 “R”: “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”.
But can everything be reused equally? Learn why it is not recommended to refill a plastic bottle over and over again.
Hygiene
Many times, when reusing plastic bottles, they can crack, partially break or scratch, since they are intended for single use. Microorganisms that come from our mouth, hands or the places where we support them can stay there; that could mean a risk to our health, increasing the possibility of contracting diseases.
Chemical contamination
As you use it, the slightest break in the plastic can release harmful chemicals into the water. For example, it is scientifically proven that rigid plastic containers based on polycarbonate that contain BPA or Bisphenol A, they can release it on the content.
Bisphenol A, which was classified as a “substance of very high concern” since it acts as disruptor endocrine, that is, as an alterer of the hormonal balance of people.
Some years ago, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States found this substance in more than 90% of Americans.
How to read the plastics code
If you take a bottle and take a good look, under it or on the label you should find a symbol with a triangle and a number inside. That number refers to the types of plastics, according to their chemical composition, that is, it tells us if they can be recycled and what their chemical composition is. These are:
- Polyethylene terephthalate
- Polyethylene high
- PVC or Vinyl
- Polyethylene low
- Polypropylene
- Polystyrene
- Other components
The 3, 6, and 7 are the most dangerous, since they indicate that the plastic contains Bisphenol, that is to say that we would endanger our health if we filled that bottle. On the contrary, the numbers 1,2,4,5 are less dangerous.
recommendations
- Avoid buying plastic products with BPA
- If you are going to use the bottle, wash the container every time you use them with a mild detergent, as if it were a kitchen utensil.
- Choose glass containers preferably.
- In no case warm them.
- Reduce your plastic waste: here are some recommendations to do it.
- Find out about other uses you can give the bottles, such as using them in alternative construction.
- Find out about what’s coming: bioplastic.