A bottle is a glass or plastic container used to hold water, milk or soda. It has a special neck that is used to suck the liquid in and a flat bottom that can be set on a table. The word can also be a verb, meaning to pour liquid into a container. It can also be a noun, meaning a person or thing that holds liquid. A baby is often given a bottle to drink from as a substitute for breastfeeding.
Bottles can be made of many different materials, including glass, metal, and plastic. Glass bottles are more durable and less likely to break, but they cannot be refilled like plastic ones can. Plastic bottles are usually made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is a form of synthetic polyester. PET is created by reacting petroleum hydrocarbons with ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid to create long molecular chains that can be formed into plastic. It is often mixed with other chemicals to make it stronger, and can be opaque or clear.
Plastic bottles are widely used to store drinks and other liquids, but they can be harmful for the environment when not disposed of properly. They are one of the most common items found in ocean debris, and it is estimated that by 2050 the world’s oceans will contain more plastic by weight than fish. This is because they can be ingested by sea birds and animals, and may eventually reach the human food chain. Plastics have also been used to save countless lives in medical research, and to facilitate the growth of clean energy from wind turbines and solar panels. However, the vast majority of plastic bottles produced end up in landfill or the sea.
The good news is that there are alternative products to plastic bottles, such as paper or aluminium. The challenge is that these alternatives do not meet the quality and performance standards required by drinks companies for their product packaging. A company called Paboco has developed a prototype of a paper bottle that is capable of holding carbonated and still drinks, but it currently requires a plastic liner inside to protect the contents from heat and pressure during storage and transport.
Another issue is the cost of these new products. Compared to plastic bottles, they are much more expensive. This is partly because the production process for paper and aluminium bottles involves a lot of electricity, which adds to the cost. It is also because they require more labour, as the paper and aluminium is cut by hand. The Coca-Cola Company is testing out a paper bottle, which has been developed in partnership with Paboco, in order to assess whether it meets the necessary standards for its own product packaging.
In TV shows, bottle episodes are stories that are filmed on a smaller budget than normal. They typically take place on a single standing set, involve only the main cast, and have a limited amount of other pricey elements, such as CGI or elaborate fight choreography. This can make them faster and cheaper to produce than a typical episode of the show.