As a fun fact- most plastics are not actually effective has barriers. Polyethylene’s tend to allow diffusion of carbon and even moisture. Many other types of plastic allow oxygen to pass- just at a relatively slow rate. For example- many types of plant can be grown inside plastic bags or bottles that are sealed. Even in food storage- food being stored long term like frozen meats and such are generally not kept in plastic. Classic MRE’s and foods designed to have very long shelf lives for survival as well as many “emergency survival kits” are often wrapped or packed in aluminum or aluminized packaging.
As metals tin and aluminum aren’t very permeable. Most plastics and polymers also can allow many types of chemicals and oils to permeate them which metals will not. Plastics work best for shorter term storage and storage where the primary concern is short term protection from standard environmental macro contamination like dust or hair.
High end fluids are commonly sold in glass bottles, milk stays fresh longer than in plastic bottles and is less likely to pick up foul tastes from certain strong odor producing chemicals. High end olive oil and the like is also often out in glass for its better sealing than plastic.
In theory aluminum beats glass in most cases when it comes to sealing in packaging- glass simply cannot be sealed as well as an aluminum container- although in all but the longest shelf life applications the difference tends to be moot. Once the seal is broken on a sealed aluminum package it generally is no better- and most of the time will be worse than a resealable glass container with a decent seal. It’s also very hard to get a proper seal on aluminum DIY whereas many products or methods exist and are largely available to more people at home for sealing glass.
Aluminum wins when it comes to UV protection- beating even tinted glass unless the glass is specially made or uses special coatings. This is a major part of why aluminum containers for beverages and canned goods continue in popular use even when cheap and more modern or convenient packaging is readily available; and also part of why aluminum is often used in survival kits or rations.
Of course- aluminum also doesn’t shatter like glass and isn’t so fragile. Downsides to aluminum like undesirable changes to flavor/smell of certain items or discoloration and other reactions such as with acidic foods can be effectively eliminated by using plastic or plastic wrap or another barrier between the aluminum and the item being stored- with the aluminum acting as an environmental barrier and seal.
If it isn’t broken or damaged through mishandling- glass will generally outlast aluminum foil in reuse. Other properties are subjective by application. Aluminum heats up faster but it also cools down faster as a material. That means aluminum is more likely to transfer heat to or from whatever is within it based on the environment- and it won’t insulate the temperature as long which can be good or bad depending. Glass is a very poor conductor of electricity while aluminum is not as poor. That can again- be good or bad depending on circumstances and intent.
When it comes to the environment things get a little complicated and there isn’t a single definitive answer for what material is best because that depends on a lot of things. If you wash and reuse plastic bags they can last a VERY long time, and there are differ t ways to quantify how much energy or equivalent is used to produce similarly sized containers of these materials.
It’s simple to say that most of the time plastic probably isn’t the “best” container based on protection and freshness and the environment- but polymers come in insane diversity and are generally cheap and can be made will all sorts of desirable properties designed in- so for very short term use plastic has some advantages depending as well.
For something like this application a glass jar is probably one of the best all around solutions one could employ. If you seal the jars you could gain some longevity as well, and using a tinted glass or a solid UV resistant covering over the glass could help in that department. That said- as far as environmentally friendly things go- a recreational crop that is notorious for requiring large amounts of electricity and water isn’t the best thing for the environment- but if one is going to recreate in a way that is harmful at least being mindful to mitigate the harm of the activity is commendable.
"Here's a fun fact!" *proceeds to write a 10 comment dissertation*
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guest_ Word Count: 771
TLDR: Plastic is the least effective storage, best when you need something cheap and short-term. Aluminium and glass are comparable alternatives with different advantages.
Well yes unicycle. The fun fact was the fact right after the statement- here’s a fun fact. The rest was just elaboration for the sake of comprehensiveness should anyone like to have details. Somewhat like how they write headlines but can’t get the entire story into that space- so you know “man was murdered by best friend” but some people might like to know things like why or who they are, where, and so on.
Comments
Bro... it’s 2020
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guest_ Word Count: 771
TLDR: Plastic is the least effective storage, best when you need something cheap and short-term. Aluminium and glass are comparable alternatives with different advantages.