It's Earth Day 2023, and that means we have an opportunity to reflect on our individual and collective efforts to protect our environment. A theme for this year is Invest in Our Planet; as we’re called upon to take action and be a part of a green revolution.
One significant change we can make is giving up single-use plastic cleaning bottles in favor of more sustainable options.
Single-use plastic bottles contribute to plastic pollution, consume vast amounts of natural resources like gasoline and water, and have overstayed their welcome.
They are harmful to the environment for several reasons:
- Plastic waste takes hundreds of years to decompose. When discarded, these bottles contribute to the growing problem of plastic pollution in landfills, oceans, and other ecosystems.
- Resource consumption: The production of single-use plastic bottles requires a significant amount of resources, including water, energy, and raw materials like petroleum. This contributes to the depletion of natural resources and increases the carbon footprint of the product.
- Chemical leakage: Some single-use cleaning bottles contain harmful chemicals that can leach into the environment when they break down, posing risks to aquatic life and ecosystems.
- Marine pollution: Single-use plastic bottles are among the most common items found in ocean litter.
- Greenhouse gas emissions: The production, transportation, and disposal of single-use cleaning bottles generate greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change.
- Waste management burden: The disposal of single-use plastic bottles adds to already strained waste management systems in many countries, leading to pollution and inefficient use of resources.
A Refill Revolution
By switching to reusable and refillable cleaning containers and choosing eco-friendly cleaning products, we can help reduce the negative environmental impacts of single-use cleaning bottles.
"Household cleaners seem particularly primed for a refill revolution. [...] Many cleaners can be easily concentrated and reconstituted with water. In fact, that’s what makes up the bulk of traditional cleaning products, leading Mr. Prindiville to describe the current system this way: “We’re just shipping around water. And that’s dumb.””
Giving up single-use plastic cleaning bottles is a crucial step toward a more sustainable future. And the refill revolution must involve consumers and businesses alike. As we celebrate Earth Day 2023, let's commit to making a positive impact on our planet by embracing eco-friendly cleaning practices and reducing our dependence on single-use plastics.
Many Aqua ChemPacs products have earned the Green Seal for quality. Green Seal’s Impacts include:
Protecting Human Health | Preserving the Climate | Minimizing Waste | Ensuring Clean Water
View their full 2023 Impact Report.
151 Million Bottles
Since inception, Aqua ChemPacs has, through its system of reusing of bottles, prevented up to 151 million plastic cleaning bottles from being created and potentially disposed of in landfills. That’s 23.3 million pounds of plastic!
52 Statues of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty weighs approximately 225 tons (204 metric tons). The weight of 151 million plastic bottles is equivalent to the weight of about 52 Statues of Liberty.
New York City to Sydney, Australia
If you were to stack 151 million 500ml plastic bottles end-to-end, the total height would be approximately 13,590 kilometers (8,443 miles). This is more than 35 times the height of Mount Everest or roughly the distance from New York City to Sydney, Australia.
So for Earth Day this year, let’s never ship water again, and switch to dissolving cleaners that reuse bottles!
