The Disadvantages and Costs Plastic from 'non-packaging' sources is rarely recycled. Plastic can not be recycled indefinitely and is generally not recycled into food containers. Because plastics are lightweight, they are expensive to collect and sort. Automatic sorting equipment can be expensive. Virgin resins can be cheaper to buy.
Some resins are difficult to clean.
The Benefits Glass can be recycled indefinitely and made into food containers. Labels and food residues burn off in furnaces. The Disadvantages and Costs Glass must be hand-sorted by color for some markets. Glass shipments are often contaminated with unusable glass. Market value fluctuations make forecasting economic viability difficult.