There\u2019s a lot of debate over how to say the word \u201caluminum\u201d or is it \u201caluminium.\u201d I personally believe in the former pronunciation but the latter spelling. But this debate has little consequence. The question that should be asked is: Aluminium is the third most abundant element, why are we wasting petroleum, a non-renewable resource on plastic bottles? There a many much more important industrial and medical uses for plastics that cannot be substituted.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a brief introduction on the benefits of Aluminum:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It has remarkably low density that makes it very light relative to its strength. Ever wonder why Airplanes are made out of aluminum?<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Living organisms do not metabolize aluminum. It\u2019s everywhere and exposure to it doesn\u2019t affect your health at all \u2013 meanwhile if you leave a plastic water bottle in the sun you\u2019re giving yourself a little dose of carcinogens!<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Re-iterating how healthy it is \u2013 Aluminum has an LD50 of 6207 mg\/kg which means that to run a 50% risk of dying an adult human would have to eat slightly over one pound of the stuff.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aluminum is way more recyclable than plastic. Actually it\u2019s nearly infinitely recyclable because it\u2019s so easy to separate chemically from other compounds.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aluminum prices have declined<\/a> over the last 25 years\u2026 clearly it\u2019s not being used enough<\/p>\n

Aluminum isn\u2019t perfect, nothing ever is. It also would stand to reason that there\u2019s no one-stop solution to sustainability. The problem is over-reliance on one resource. The US Economy is addicted to Oil and Corn, for example.<\/p>\n

The thing is consumption of plastic, especially plastic bottles is a really understated problem. Plastic, which is a petroleum product \u2013 is causing serious environmental harm, raising toxicity levels in the environment and killing or disfiguring animals, especially birds and marine life. Let\u2019s not even discuss the Pacific Garabage Patch sitting in the Pacific gyre. Even the recent Malaysian Airlines flight disappearance has brought to light how much plastic debris is just floating everywhere in the ocean.<\/p>\n

A serious downside of Aluminum is that making it is a fairly high-energy process from Bauxite ore. Critics of Aluminum point to this as being a key reason why plastic is better, especially plastic wrap versus aluminum foil. Except as Slate\u2019s<\/i> Nina Rastogi points out:<\/p>\n

\u201cif you use one piece of foil three times, it will contribute less aquatic toxicity than using three pieces of LDPE [plastic cling wrap], and it just about matches the plastic on fossil-fuel usage and eutrophication. You’d have to use that foil six times, however, before the greenhouse gas emissions and human health impacts were comparable as well.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Eutrophication is the response aquatic ecosystems have to aritifical materials, especially plastics, being introduced, which is characterized by prolific toxic algae blooms.<\/p>\n

Even when it comes to re-usable bottles, steel or aluminum are better options than plastic. Toxins from plastic will always leech into water while the worst that happens with metal is a slight metallic taste but no physiological harm.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the disposable bottle versus the can the can is also clearly the better option. According to the EPA the US overall plastics recycling rate is 9 percent, or 2.8 million tons in 2012.[1]<\/a> This means that some 28.3 million tons of recyclable plastics is put into landfills each year. By comparison to all waste this is a disaster considering that in 2009 Americans recovered 34% of waste generated.[2]<\/a> By comparison when looking at Aluminum cans: \u201cThe U.S. recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans reached 58.1% in 2010- a rate that is more than double that of any other beverage container.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Because Aluminum is so recyclable it quickly offsets the initial energy cost of making it from virgin ore. Aluminum cans in circulation typically contain 68% recycled aluminum and \u201ctwenty recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce one can using virgin ore.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

The \u201cStory of Bottled Water\u201d really reveals the problem with plastic water bottles:<\/p>\n