Two-liter bottle

The two liter bottle is common container for soft drinks. These bottles are produced from polyethylene using the blow molding process. Bottle labels consist of a printed, tight-fitted plastic sleeve. A resealable screw-top allows the contents to be used incrementally while retaining carbonation.

History

PepsiCo introduced the first two liter soda bottle in 1970. In 1985 a short-lived three liter bottle appeared but had limited success due to the fact that the larger volume of soda would go flat too quickly. While most modern-day two-liters have a base that is molded flat during manufacturing, some early two-liters were rounded on the bottom and had a flat plastic cap hot-glued on. Early labels consisted of a paper rectangular area glued part way around the bottle.

Vernacular

While in most of the world, there is nothing unusual or remarkable about a two-liter bottle, in the United States most foodstuffs are measured primarily in customary units and the two-liter bottle is one of the few usages of the metric system in that country. Since very few other beverages are sold in this exact quantity, the term "two liter" in American English almost invariably refers to a soft drink bottle. This usage is similar to that of "40 ounce" (referring to a forty-ounce glass bottle of beer or malt liquor) or "six-pack" (referring to six cans or six bottle of beer sold in one package).

Recycling

Used two liter bottles see new life in a variety of uses from carpeting to filling for jackets and pillows. At one point the recycled material was considered for use in 35mm film manufacture. The problem with this approach was that the plastic was harder than that used to make the sprockets inside most 35-mm cameras and would quickly cause wear.

Popular culture

Futurama: "All right. It's Saturday night. I've got no date, a two liter bottle of Shasta, and my all-Rush mix tape. Let's rock." - Fry
The Onion (parody news): Coca-Cola Introduces New 30-Liter Size
An urban legend was circulated about a grad student who damaged a lab bathroom using a two-liter partially-filled with Liquid nitrogen.http://scienceblogs.com/principles/2006/01/how_to_tell_a_true_lab_story.php

Inventive uses

Two two-liter bottles can be used simulate a tornado by putting water in one and taping the mouths of the two bottles together in an hourglass fashion. Raising the chamber filled with water upright with a swirling motion initiates the vortex.
A craze in 2006 involved putting Mentos mints into a 2-liter bottle of diet cola to produce a fountain effect.
Two liter bottles are sometimes used to create improvised fireworks based on the reaction between aluminum foil and toilet bowl cleaner, or by the sublimation of dry ice in the closed container.

References

Soft drinks | Metrication