Encouraging Companies to Not Use Glass for Beverage Containers
Year: 2006
Resolution
Be it resolved that SUMA urge the Provincial Government to encourage companies that sell beverages to refrain from using glass in their containers.
Provincial Response
The use of glass in containers is driven by market and consumer demand. Normally it would take great expense to change a company's bottling/packaging process. In addition, it would be questionable whether the entire public would agree that products should be packaged entirely without glass. If a community feels strongly about the threat posed by broken glass that results from it being discarded on playgrounds, then the community can take measures through litter control bylaws. Education programs concerning the risk posed by broken glass could also be instituted in schools. In addition, the public can recycle most glass beverage containers through the depot collection system that is operated by SARCAN recycling as part of the province's Beverage Container Collection and Recycling Program.
