It's shocking you'd propose single use plastic bottles to be recycled over glass bottles that can be re-used hundreds (thousands?) of times.
I'm sure they can capture and clean the water and re-use that too, it doesn't just have to go down the drain.
I just can't help feeling that with everything there are nine million reasons not to do something, so we end up doing nothing. Analysis Paralysis.
I can't find figures comparing the water used in production vs reuse.
FWIW India already has a robust bottle return and reuse system.
Empty containers can be loaded onto container ships, where they can be recycled elsewhere, and new containers delivered the same way. While that may still not be environmentally optimal on a world scale, at least it would consume no extra water in regions that are arid or facing groundwater depletion.
> FWIW India already has a robust bottle return and reuse system.
The soft-drink industry in India has already been castigated for depletion of groundwater, so again, washing and sterilizing all these bottles only compounds the damage.
In order for drinks to stay fizzy, the container has to be filled under pressure. Even if you offer customers some fancy machine that can fill their bottles under pressure, you still risk issues with customers bringing in old, flimsy containers that cannot withstand those pressures.