eli5 Why are glass bottles not used more for soft drinks if plastic is such a nightmare for the planet?
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They were used. In 1960s pretty much everything was [cardboard and glass](https://preview.redd.it/woolworths-sydney-au-1960-an-entire-supermarket-with-v0-b5tvda77zf4a1.jpg?auto=webp&s=baa9898db313f77697b083fa7cb5fe240c8d3219)/metal. Just like in the case when paper bags were switched to plastic to “save the trees”, most drinks were shipped in glass bottles. Then when plastic became a cheaper alternative (pet bottles were invented in 70s), everyone switched to it because costs were lower. See a relevant plastic bottle [commercial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCrkFIqZOys) from 70s.
Because plastic bottles are way cheaper to make than glass bottles, and also lighter and thus easier to haul around in bulk (not to mention that plastic doesn’t break the way glass does). This means that for the end consumer a drink in a glass bottle is always going to be more expensive than the same drink in a plastic bottle.
Unless, say, plastic production gets taxed into oblivion, but then we all would just have to contend with more expensive drinks altogether.
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