Paul Gregutt
Wine adviser

Q. As an avid environmentalist and one who likes an occasional glass of wine with a meal, I’m neutral on the question of cork vs. screw tops. The environmental tab for a particular consumption habit is often difficult to assess. But the real question should be, “What about all that green glass?” I’ve seen many articles saying that none of it ever makes it back into new bottles because no one wants it. Maybe we should lobby the wine industry to use clear glass instead.
A. I don’t pretend to be an expert on glass recycling, but since you’ve led me down this trail, here’s what I’ve learned. Green glass can, in fact, be recycled. In Seattle, all types of wine bottles — clear, brown and green — may be recycled. Some types of wine bottles may be reused by the wine industry, or by amateur winemakers. Others are broken up for products such as Glasphalt, used in highway construction. It is true that brown and green glass is not as versatile as clear glass.
Why don’t wineries change to clear glass? Well, there’s always tradition rearing its ugly head. But more to the practical point, colored glass can protect wine from potential light damage far better than clear glass. Truth be told, a better solution for eco-friendly wine packaging would seem to be cardboard cartons, but I don’t think we’ll ever see the day when glass bottles are not the container of choice for most fine wines.

Paul Gregutt, author of “Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide,” can be reached at wine@paulgregutt.com.