Miller's Plastic Bottle Not Recyclable, Says Environmental Group
The much-anticipated new plastic beer bottle being test-marketed in Tucson, AZ, by Miller Brewing Co. is facing the wrath of local environmentalists. The bottle, which is intended to offer users convenience and the opportunity to drink beer where glass is not permitted, is not recyclable, says Tucson Clean & Beautiful.
"This new plastic bottle has created a major concern within the recycling industry and local collection and processing centers," said Joan E. Lionetti, executive director of the non-profit volunteer organization. (See related article). "The development of this plastic bottle seems to reflect a corporate attitude of indifference toward waste-reduction efforts and recycling. We hope they will reconsider and choose not to bottle their products in these non-recyclable containers."
Three Recycling Issues
According to Lionetti, there are three major flaws with the packaging. The plastic bottles have an aluminum closure — a 38-mm roll-on closure with a high-barrier coextruded liner. Part of the aluminum closure remains with the bottle after it is opened. Also, the bottles feature a metallic label that is incompatible with the plastics-recycling process. And, finally, the bottles themselves, which carry the "1/PETE" resin identification code, are made with several layers of different plastic resins. The five-layer bottles, coinjection stretch blowmolded by Owens-Illinois' Continental PET Technologies Inc. (CPT), Florence, KY, incorporate two proprietary barrier, oxygen-scavenging layers between an inner, middle and outer layer of virgin PET.
"When we set forth on this project, the one objective was that the bottles meet all reasonable recycling standards," said Scott Bussen, marketing communications manager of Milwaukee-based Miller Lite. Bussen also pointed out that the 20-oz bottles are part of an ongoing test and do not represent the "finished product." "We are the first to introduce plastic bottles for beer. There is no blueprint to go by. No one's done it before."
Company researchers are continuing to work with recycling entities to assure that the bottles are recyclable, said Bussen. Miller researchers have worked closely with the Association of Plastics Recyclers, the American Plastics Council and the National Association of PET Containers Resources, as well as some local recyclers in some of the test-market areas, he said.
Miller announced in November that the plastic bottles would be test-marketed in Tucson and Phoenix, and in five other locations in California, Texas, Virginia and Florida. The benefits to plastic bottles are that they allow people to drink beer in places where glass is traditionally prohibited, such as at pools and sporting events, and the lighter weight makes them more cost-effective to ship than glass bottles. Miller marketers claim no taste is lost in its specially designed plastic bottles when compared with glass bottles, which most beer drinkers prefer over aluminum cans.
Tucson Clean & Beautiful, which is involved in recycling, waste reduction, urban forestry, beautification, land stewardship and community education, claims the new plastic bottles are not recyclable in any local or national program. This means the plastic bottles would have to go to landfills. "It is not reasonable nor is it economically feasible to place an additional burden on the solid waste and recycling industry by introducing a new product that should have been researched and evaluated for recycling by the manufacturer before the product was test-marketed," Lionetti said.
Bussen said Miller did just that. "We did extensive research into this before the product was introduced. We would not have gone to test markets if we had not felt it was environmentally feasible," he said.
Lionetti fears other beer brewers and distributors will follow Miller's lead if plastic bottles are widely accepted in test markets. Said Bussen, "We will continue to work with the various organizations, and be sure that everyone is pleased with it in the recycling stream before we go any further."
Changes to Bottle Are Likely
Some changes in the plastic bottle are likely in order, according to Bussen. "We have learned through recycling tests that the aluminum closure on the package needs to be changed," he said, pointing out the tamper-proof aluminum ring that stays on the package. "What we're finding out through partnerships with local recyclers in southern California is that the ring is a problem. We're in the process right now to try to decide which alternative closure will offer consumer protection and still recycle."
As far as the amount of metal in the metallic label, Bussen said it amounts to only one-half of 1% — well within the limits of 2% of foreign matter allowable by recycling industry standards. "It just tends to float to the top [of the recycled plastic as it is melted]," he said.
The oxygen-scavenging layers of the bottle allow the container to retain the carbonation of the beer and prevent oxygen from causing the beer to deteriorate. Bussen said the specific makeup of the barrier layer is a company secret, though the scavenger in the bottle walls is thought to be based on a CPT patent covering O2-absorber layers in a multilayer bottle.
"We are still waiting for definitive results," Bussen said, "but so far, early indications are that those barrier layers float off and are not factors in the recycling stream."
He added that there is a misperception that Miller is saving money by going to plastic. "At this point, while it is significantly lighter — about one-seventh the weight of glass bottles — [plastic] is more expensive to produce than glass. It is by no means a big cost saver."