Author Question: In former times, most beverage containers were refillable. What will be an ideal ... (Read 61 times)

Mr.Thesaxman · **on:** Jul 28, 2018

In former times, most beverage containers were refillable.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Is gasahol a good idea? Explain.

What will be an ideal response?

covalentbond · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 28, 2018

Answer to Question 1

This is correct. Bottlers were leaders in recycling for practical reasons. Starting in
the 1960s, however, with wages rising, the economics of recycling changed because if the
increased expense of the cleaning infrastructure, which involved a good deal of human
intervention. Bottlers found that the costs of handling would exceed the costs of buying new
bottles, and making their decision on the basis of their self-interest alone, as would be
expected, switched. Glass bottle and can manufacturers supported efforts to switch, and
one-way aluminum and plastic bottles eventually supplanted one-way bottles. Consumers
were willing to support the change because of the greater convenience, and the long slide
toward throwaways was on.

Answer to Question 2

It depends very much on how much fossil fuel energy is used to make the
ethanol. In Brazil, it is generally agreed that ethanol is energy-efficient because the thermal
energy is supplied by bagasse (woody waste from sugar cane) and even vinesse (liquid
waste from sugar cane). However, in the United States, fossil fuels are used and many
observers think there is a greater fossil fuel energy input than the output of ethanol. In any
case, it is far less efficient to make ethanol in the United States.