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Have you ever thought about making the switch from plastic water bottles to reusable glass bottles?
Plastic packaging creates so much pollution! It has a negative impact on our environment. It’s also worse for your health than glass pachaging.
I have been working on having a more eco-friendly lifestlye for a while now. Plastic waste has a huge environmental impact, and I have been trying to do my part to cut back on it.
My husband and I have been working hard to cut out plastic and switch to a more eco-friendly, sustainable, and non-toxic lifestyle. During this lifestyle change, we struggled with cutting out plastic bottles!
I have several reusable bottles that I love to use throughout the day, but sometimes it is just easier to grab a cold water bottle from the fridge if you’re in a hurry.
Also, with the type of job my husband has makes it hard for him to carry a big reusable bottle with him everywhere. He needs his water bottles to fit into his lunchbox… therefore we have continued to buy plastic bottles because they fit perfectly.
I wanted so badly to stop buying plastic bottles! Glass jars and glass containers are my favorite!
One day, while my husband was drinking kombucha (he loves it), I had the bright idea that we needed to start saving the bottles!
The glass kombucha bottles (shown below) are the perfect size to fit into my husband’s lunchbox. We have about 12 bottles right now that we keep filled up and in the refrigerator, ready to grab! I hope to keep adding to them so we can have plenty.
Breaking free from single-use plastic completely is my goal, and this has been one step towards it. Keep reading for information on why glass is a great option and how you can make some of your own reusable glass water bottles!
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Benefits of Glass
Glass may take longer to produce and use more raw materials, but at the end of its life, it is 100% recyclable. During the recycling process, glass maintains its quality and durability to be reused.
Glass is also non-toxic and free from harmful chemicals. When compared to plastic, the health risks associated with it are much less.
Glass is better for storing homemade cleaners, tonics, and other health and beauty products. Dark glass helps to protect essential oils and other ingredients that are put into homemade cleaning and beauty products.
Have you ever wondered why water tastes better in a glass bottle than it does in a plastic bottle?
One of the main reasons that water tastes better in glass bottles is because glass doesn’t leech toxic chemicals into the water. Plastic bottles have BPA chemicals that can contaminate the water if the bottles sit long enough.
It makes the quality of the water go down when this happens. Glass packaging is the best option for your water and any other beverages you like!
Glass water bottles are the perfect solution to using plastic bottles. Not only will it save you money to get rid of single use products, but it will also help to save the environment and your health.
The amount of plastic bottles that get thrown away and cause polution every year is insance. Glass products can help to cut down on this tremendously.
What Kind of Glass Bottles Should I Use?
You can always buy an assortment of new glass bottles ready to be refilled and used over and over. Or you can buy your favorite juice, soft drink, or kombucha that comes in a glass bottle to drink, clean, and reuse!
Once you have the empty bottles, you can follow the steps below to clean them and use them as many times as you want!
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Steps to Make Your Own Reusable Glass Bottles
Step One
Pick out your favorite drink that comes in a glass bottle. Many beverage companies, like Coca Cola, are making drinks in glass bottles these days.
Whatever size you want! We always choose the Kombucha bottles because my husband likes it, and the bottles are about the same size as plastic water bottles (16 oz). They fit perfectly in our refrigerator and in my husband’s lunch box!
Step Two
Grab soap, fingernail polish remover, and alcohol. You will also need something abrasive (but not overly abrasive) to clean the bottles with.
I love this bamboo scrubbing brush! It cleans the sticky glue off of the bottles so well. It also means I don’t have to scrub as hard because it does most of the work for me!
You can grab one of these here! They are completely compostable at the end of their life.
Step Three
Peel the label off of the bottle. Once you peel the label, the sticky glue will bevery easy to see!
This is when the products from step two will come in handy.
Start with the alcohol and scrub the bottle. Once a good bit of the sticky comes off, switch to the fingernail polish remover to get the rest of it off.
Scrub as much as you can to get the sticky glue off, then clean the bottle with warm soap and water.
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Step Four
I always run the bottles through the dishwasher to proper sanitize them and get as much of the sticky glue off of them as I can, in case any of it was missed in step 3.
Once the bottles have been cleaned, they will be like new bottles to you!
Step Five
Fill the glass bottles with filtered water and store them in the refrigerator. Grab a bottle, drink it, refill, and palce back in the refrigerator.
I like to wash my bottles again after a couple of uses. The cycle repeats itself for a long time!
By doing this, you are helping to cut down on plastic pollution and keeping toxic substances from entering your body.
What are your favorite tyoes of refillable containers for water or other drinks? I love trying out new reusable containers and would love new recommendations!
If you would like to know more about the types of plastic, plastic recyclying, and glass recycling– click the links to learn more!
Until next time,
Catherine
Maryanne says
A good read. I really like the ideas you have put forward and it’s quite easy to implement. Glass is so much nicer anyway 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Catherine says
Thanks for reading! I love the look of glass as well 🙂
Suraj Pokhrel says
I’m thrilled to see more awareness about the benefits of using glass over plastic! It’s not just a choice for the environment, but also for our own well-being. Glass containers are not only more durable and long-lasting, but they also don’t leach harmful chemicals into our food and beverages like some plastics can. Plus, glass is fully recyclable and can be reused without compromising its quality. It’s a small switch that can make a big difference for both our health and the planet. Kudos for shedding light on this important topic!
Catherine says
Thank you so much! I agree that it’s a great switch not only for the environment, but for our own health as well. I don’t think many people realize the harmful chemicals that plastic holds. Thanks for reading and sharing your own insight!
Literally Laurie says
I need to be better about this. I really appreciated this post!
Catherine says
It’s really easy to implement. Getting started can be a hard step to make, but you will get there!
Alicia says
We use lots of stainless steel water bottles at our house, but I’ve never thought about switching from plastic to glass bottles. Interesting.
Catherine says
Stainless steel water bottles are a great option, too!
Barbara says
These are great tips! I do this too! Glass is overall safer, ironically!
Catherine says
Yes it is!
Sandi says
We have definately made the switch away from plastic to glass with storage containers and have eliminated most of our plastic bottles.
Catherine says
That’s wonderful!
Lisa Manderino says
I think water tastes better from a glass bottle too! I don’t do it too much but would if it was convenient.
Catherine says
It does taste a lot better to me as well!
Nyxie says
We’ve already started to make the shift, but slowly. It’s difficult because we have no re-fill shops over here. and any we do have are miles and miles away, which defeats the purpose of trying to reduce our plastic / carbon foot print.
Catherine says
Hopefully that will change in the near future!
Lisa, Casey, Barrett Dog says
Switching to glass bottles is great for the environment. We try to use products in glass bottles.
Catherine says
That’s wonderful! It’s very good for the environment to switch.
Sheenia Denae | Lifestyle Blogger says
I made the switch from plastic to glass bottles and storage containers, and I love it!
Catherine says
Yay! I love glass storage containers as well. Everything glass! Lol
Fransic verso says
Having bottle glass is great to keep using it for a long time. And can be used for many things. But plastic can’t be used for hot things.
Lani says
I totally agree with the points taken in this post. And I gathered some new ideas. Thanks for this one.
Catherine says
Thanks for reading!
Karen says
This makes so much sense! Almost all of the bottles I keep in the fridge are glass but the ones I use daily are plastic! I will need to 100% switch to glass bottles.
Catherine says
You’re already halfway there it sounds like! It would be an easy switch for you 🙂
krystle cook says
I never really thought about it before but I love the glass bottle idea especially since we have a great water filter. We use so many plastic bottles and I know it’s not the best. I’d love to make the switch one day.
Catherine says
That’s exaclty how we were. So many plastic bottles with a great water filter at our finger tips! Just start small and do a few at a time 🙂 It’s not as daunting as it seems.
Samantha Laycock says
When I was grocery shopping the other day, they had all of the glass water bottles marked down to $5. I grabbed a bunch. I love them so much and I use them daily. Way better than any plastic bottle!
Catherine says
That’s awesome! I would love to find some cheap like that. I have a couple of bigger ones that I love to take to work with me.
Lyosha Varezhkina says
That’s the switch I sadly can not make. Having a baby and dog makes glass dangerous for daily usage
Catherine says
I understand your concerns! I have a dog and have never had an issue with them (so far!) The glass bottles are very durable. They also make glass baby bottles which have great health benefits to them 🙂 Hopefully you can find a replacement that you feel comfortable with some day!