Recently, a reader e-mailed me and asked: When buying pop, is it more environmentally friendly to buy it in plastic bottles or aluminum cans? In doing some research on the Internet, I found some great information. If you are choosing between aluminum and plastic, aluminum is certainly the way to go. According to Debra's Green Living Q & A blog, when it comes to pop (or beer), about 60 per cent of the can gets recycled and is once again made into beer or pop cans - but then the remainder of the can is made from newly-mined metal. Mining both hurts our eco-system and produces mining waste. Plastic bottles should be eschewed at all costs. It's made from nonrenewable and unrefined petroleum. Though some plastics can get recycled, a great deal end up in landfills and are unable to break down for eons. Also, many types of plastic can leach into our beverages. If you ever have the option to purchase products in glass, I'd certainly stick to that option over both aluminum and plastic. Glass is made out of sand, which is a plentiful resource. Though heavy to ship (and breakable) it is 100 per cent recyclable and can be melted down and made into something new. Glass bottles are also totally safe to drink from. Of course, take a look at where your drinks are manufactured and take into account how far they travel to get to you. That should definitely weight into your decision making.