The Wall Street Journal, February 24, 2000. Therefore, they should be easy and profitable to recycle. Plastic bottles offer significant savings in transportation costs. PET is much lighter than glass, so it takes less energy and fuel costs to transport. Brewers are hoping the new bottles will add some excitement to the industry.
Brewing companies have different strategies for introducing new plastic beer bottles.
Miller, for example, plans to sell beer in plastic in sports stadiums and arenas. Heineken is planning to try plastic bottles for larger sizes, allowing consumers to have a glass, then reclose the bottle and refrigerate for later consumption. Environmental benefits to the plastic bottles lie with consumers and their willingness to recycle the bottles. Intoxicating ice creams, sold in supermarkets' liquor sections, made a big hit in recent Minnesota test markets. Each 100 millimeter serving has an alcohol content of between 1.6 percent and 3.6 percent.