Besides the large amount of plastic products it creates, here are more reasons from the Environmental Defense Fund newsletter, Solutions, why we shouldn’t drink bottled water:
- Clean, drinkable water flows straight from the tap.
- Production of the 30 billion plastic bottles that entered the waste stream in 2006 (fewer than 20% were recycled) used the equivalent of 17 million barrels of oil and created 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
- Three gallons of water were wasted for every gallon bottled.
- Bottled water costs 1000 times more than tap water.
- Bottled water standards may be weaker.
- Manufacturing and shipping a one-liter Fiji bottled water produces half a pound of global warming pollution and uses almost seven times as much water as the bottle contains.
- Reusable plastic containers can be linked to health problems.
- Water filters work on removing many common contaminants from tap water.
We have used a Brita water pitcher for years. I am concerned about the filter which I monthly throw into the trash. I wish that those could be recycled.
Thanks to the Environmental Defense Fund for supplying these pertinent facts about bottled water.
Justin said,
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 @ 9:10 pm
Rock on in the fight against bottled water. Many Americans see it as a fad, little know the important dangers of bottled water. The Student Government at my college is doing a project called Take Back the Tap where we are distributing free reusable, BPA free water bottles and trying to eliminate bottled water on our campus. Glad to see people are elsewhere are teaching the dangers.
Barbara Mathieson said,
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 @ 7:56 am
Great job, Justin. Where do you go to school? Challenge other schools to do the same.