Beer in Cans or Bottles – Which is Better for Recycling and the Environment?

Nothing beats a nice, cold beer on a hot summer’s day – add a patio, dock or backyard into that equation and you have a trifecta of true beauty.

While the thought of being an environmentally conscious beer drinker might not be something that passes through your mind when guzzling down your favorite brew, you’d be happy to know that the beer industry does a good job at being environmentally friendly–thanks to return policies.

When it comes to the question of beer in glass bottles or cans, “what does beer taste better in?” is often the main topic of this discussion–important question nonetheless–but which is better for the environment?

Let’s look at the pros and cons of both before we jump–or stumble–to conclusions.

Beer in Cans

Beer in Bottles

Both have their pros and cons, but when it comes down to it recycling 100 beer bottles requires more energy than recycling 100 aluminum cans. However, making aluminum cans take a lot more energy and earth damaging processes’ compared to glass, so much so, that it outweighs all the other pros of recycling and transporting cans.

So the environmentally friendly winner is….GLASS BOTTLES!

If you really want to be the ultimate “green” beer drinker (putting green food coloring in your beer doesn’t count) – having a pint from a local brewery at a local pub is your best bet! With the explosion of micro-breweries in Canada and the United States in the past few years, this is easier to do now than ever before.

Cheers!