ABSTRACT
Production of beverages has been expanded to cover the growing demands of soft drink. There are 30 plants filling 15 million returnable glass bottles in Egypt. Those plants discharge washing effluent without any treatment. The strength of the wastewater effluent exceeds the maximum permissible level for wastewater discharges into water streams or into municipal sewer. Most of them are confronted with either clean up or close down. Filling plastic bottles is an alternative to cut down the washing effluent. For that alternative, extra loads of solid wastes will be added to the local sanitary system. This alternative was studied through comparing two types of beverage containers, i.e., filling beverage into returnable glass bottles or into plastic bottles. The life cycles of the containers were studied. Also the involved factors in the product life cycle were identified. The results is a guide to replace our traditional approach of satisfying our needs in terms of production by the more basic approach of a clean product. Also, it addresses a sustainable solid waste system in Egypt