This is still done in Germany to a fairly large part, be it glass or reusable plastic bottles. An argument I've heard from the company producing one-time-plastic bottles for the Schwarz Group:
- Lots of chemistry and treatment is needed to clean used bottles.
- It is logistically more efficient to crush one-time-plastic bottles instead of moving around trucks with plastic bottles or heavy glass bottles.
Logistically more efficient but what about the complete environmental impact? Are they also considering the costs of disposing of this plastic? Aren't trucks driving around empty half the time anyway? Can the grocery truck just haul empties back to the distribution center where they are handed back to the trucks from the manufacturer?
I just started getting glass milk bottles in the store here in Arkansas that I can return for a $2 deposit. Very happy about this and hope it becomes more popular (again, well not sure if the US ever did it).
- Lots of chemistry and treatment is needed to clean used bottles. - It is logistically more efficient to crush one-time-plastic bottles instead of moving around trucks with plastic bottles or heavy glass bottles.