International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

eported that on average, each glass bottle is washed and refilled 12-15 times before
being recycled. It calculates that re-using refillable glass bottles an average 15 times
results in an overall energy saving of 2.4 million gJ and the avoidance of nearly
160,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. 337
A study undertaken for the EC in 2005 included a review of LCA studies that
compared refillables against one-way systems. The report found that no type of
packaging was clearly always better or always worse for the environment, irrespective
of the assumptions used. The report concluded that the findings of these studies
were highly dependent on the product supply system, return rates, transport
distances, control mechanisms, incentives such as deposits and electricity generation
methods. 338 The relationship between capture rate and transport distance was
reviewed in detail and Table 16-2 shows the findings from the analysis. The analysis
suggested refillables (glass) would be beneficial when the transport distance is below
100km and the capture rate is high, and one-way containers would be beneficial
when transport distance is high and capture rates are low. It suggested that refillable
PET bottles may be the best option for short distribution distances (