friday, november4, 1977
daily nebraskan
page 5
Bottlers blame bottle bursts on careless consumer
ByTJecky Brugman
Contrary to national reports, local bottlers receive few
reports of soft drink bottle explosions.
Of the 2.4 million bottles produced annually at Lin
coln's Mid-Continent Bottlers, it receives an average of
one complaint a year, according to Bill Simpson, produc
tion manager.
He said most broken bottles are caused by abnormal
use. One example-the quart-size bottles, usually placed
on the top shelf at a grocery store, are put in a cart, rub
bed against each other in the cart or grocery sack then
bounced against each other in the car, he said.
Simpson said people must remember that these are
glass products and are easily broken.
A Pepsi Cola Bottling Co. spokesman, who refused to
be identified, said people must act responsibly when hand
ling soft drink bottles. He said the amount of carbonation
in pop does not affect whether a bottle breaks. Fruit
drinks usually have less carbonation than other types of
soft drinks, but break as easily, he said.
The bottles are made to withstand much more car
bonation pressure than they hold, he said.
Bottles should be stored in a cool, but not cold place,
he said. Temperature extremes cause expansion, leading to
more breakage problems, he said.
Both companies said they do all they can to prevent
circumstances leading to breakage problems and that
restrictions regarding bottle handling at the companies
lessen the probability of breakage.
Simpson said bottles coming to the Omaha location are
sorted and inspected by hand three times before they are
inspected electronically. All these steps take place before
filling the bottles, he said.
Both companies agreed on filling regulations. They fol
low parent company regulations rather than the state's
because parent company regulations are more stringent,
they said.
State regulations say washing temperatures should be
130 degrees.
The Pepsi Cola Bottling Co. uses a 152-degree tempera
ture. Simpson said the company uses a higher temperature
than state regulations require for more quality control.
The state, county and parent company inspects the
local plant about three or four times a year, Simpson
said.
The fact that 7-Up is a clear drink is an additional
reason for the high standards, he said. In a cola drink, a
person cannot tell if there are "things" in the drink. In a
clear drink, they are visible.
Mid-Continent bottles 7-Up, RC Cola, Diet Rite Cola,
Squirt, Frosty Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, Sugar-free Dr.
Pepper and Canada Dry mix as well as Canada Dry
Strawberry, Orange and Grape. Nehi fruit drinks also are
bottled there.
Pepsi Cola Bottling Co. of Lincoln bottles Pepsi Cola,
Diet Pepsi, Teem, Nesbitts, Hires Root Beer, Mountain
Dew and Tru Treat.
In regard to reusing bottles both companies said they
, do not use chipped, cracked, or damaged bottles in any
other way.
Mid-Continent bottles are reused about 15 times,
Simpson said. Pepsi Cola bottling reuses it about seven to
ten times, the spokesman said.
Both companies said cans are outselling reusable
bottles.
Refilling reusable bottles costs money
Speaking of reusable bottles, Mike Simpson of Mid
Continent Bottlers of Omaha said reusable bottles take
more energy to refill than it takes to fill new bottles.
Simpson said it is more economical to rinse new bottles
and fill them.
It takes 800 gallons of water an hour to rinse the
bottles as opposed to 3,600 gallons an hour to wash and
rinse the old ones.
Simpson said cans are more expensive to produce than
bottles because the metal costs more than bottles. They
are outselling bottles however, he said,
People are willing to pay the cost difference for
convenience, he said.
Simpson said reusable bottles continually are being
promoted because second to cans, they are what the
public wants. The public thinks it saves more energy to
reuse the. bottles than to fill new ones. This is not true,
he said.
Simpson said by next fall, all bottles will be converted
to the metric system.
Already on the market is the liter bottle. Gradually,
until fall, the markings on bottles will be changed, he
said.
IneepSoooial Wefly
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ieaular
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