A bottle is a portable container for holding liquids that usually has straight sides, a narrow neck and mouth, and is made of glass or plastic. The word can also refer to the contents of such a container: he was raised on a bottle of wine; the restaurant bottles its own ginger ale. The container can also be used to preserve food or other materials: she bottled her own lemon juice. Bottles are also a symbol of the bottle-neck effect in science: the process by which fluids are squeezed through narrow openings.
Bottles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they’re usually cylindrical with a narrow mouth and straight sides. The most common are PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, which are made of clear and durable plastic. These bottles are designed to be easy to hold and carry. They are lightweight, easy to clean and dishwasher safe, and they can be shaped into different shapes for special purposes.
They’re also very useful for storing drinks and foods, because they can be capped tightly and are watertight. PET bottles can be recycled over and over again, which reduces waste and energy consumption, limits greenhouse gas emissions, and saves resources. It’s also possible to make PET bottles from plant-based material, which reduces the amount of chemicals that might leak into the environment.
Another popular kind of bottle is made from a form of plastic called LDPE (low-density polyethylene), which is more flexible and transparent than PET, but less hardy. LDPE can be recycled many times over, and it can be turned into things like freezer bags, clothing and furniture. It can even be used to make new bottles, which is great news for the planet!
Other kinds of plastic are a bit more difficult to recycle. PVC (polyvinyl chloride), for example, isn’t very good for making bottles, but it’s a versatile and inexpensive plastic that can be used for lots of other things – including car parts, hoses and toys. Unfortunately, it takes hundreds of years for plastic to decompose naturally, so it’s really important that we recycle as much as we can!
The most recent development in bottle-making is using bio-plastic, which comes from plants. This uses fewer fossil fuels and other resources than traditional plastics, and it is compostable within 80 days. This is a very promising development, and it might help to offset some of the damage that has been caused by the use of oil-based plastics.
Glass has been used to create practical and decorative objects since ancient times. It’s an inorganic material, which means that it is non-porous, impervious to water and other liquids, and resistant to the elements. Glass is usually clear or yellow, but it can be colored to produce a range of shades and hues. The best-known use of glass is for making bottles, which are often a feature of public buildings and art galleries. Glass is a versatile and durable material that can be made into a wide variety of shapes, and it is a very popular drink container in the developed world. In the developing world, 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and bottled water is one of the only viable options.
