Buying bottled water might make you feel like you’re healthy and hydrated, but in recent years, we’ve realised that it’s not the best thing for our health or the planet. In fact, one of the best steps you can take towards helping the planet is refusing to buy bottled water any longer.
Below, you’ll find 7 compelling reasons why you should give buying bottled water a miss in favour of filtering your own water or even just drinking tap water. Take a look if you know it’s time to start your plastic free lifestyle:
1. Bottled Water Is Expensive
Bottled water is costly and expensive, especially if you try to keep up with the recommended daily amounts. For example, those who exercise are often told to drink more than 2 litres of water a day - sometimes 3 or 4 depending on their sex, age, height, activity levels, and so on. For some, drinking 1 litre a day seems like a stretch, but staying hydrated is key to health and wellbeing. Drinking more water can only be a good thing, but that’s providing you’re not polluting the planet while doing so.
2. Plastic Bottles Are Not Sustainable
Water that comes in plastic bottles is not sustainable and has caused huge environmental issues. The manufacturing of foam and plastic products can include the use of plasticizers (chemical softening agents), benzene, styrene and Bisphenol A (BPA), which are all toxic to human health and wildlife. Environmental regulations have reduced the number of toxic components used in the process, but chemicals are still used and they do present a set of hazards for both consumers and the environment. These chemicals and components used in the plastic manufacturing process are not biodegradable, and they pose potential hazards to the environment. The plastic itself can take thousands of years to biodegrade, too.
The energy required to transport and recycle certain plastics often exceeds the cost to make products containing virgin plastic material, so many plastics aren’t recycled. So much plastic is sent to landfills each year, and a lot of plastic actually ends up in our oceans and on our streets, killing wildlife and marine life in torturous ways. Birds, fish, and other species can eat the plastic, and this slowly kills them. They can get tangled up and stuck in it, slowly suffocating or bleeding to death. The ways in which plastic harms the environment and everything in it really cannot be emphasised enough.
3. Bottled Water Can Be Contaminated
A lot of people don’t realise that their bottled water can be contaminated - in fact, some water companies have been in trouble for this over recent years and have received a lot of backlash. Things like glass particles, mold, and even crickets have been found in water bottles in the past. As plastic bottles contain toxins, the water can also become contaminated.
4. Bottled Water Is Not Necessarily Cleaner
A lot of people think that by purchasing bottled water they are automatically consuming cleaner water. However, bottled water isn’t necessarily cleaner or safer - that’s just a marketing ploy! The water is not tested in many cases, so you really don’t know what you’re drinking. Of course, how clean your tap water is will depend on where you live, but you’ll often find that your bottled water is not far off your tap water in terms of metals and other things (a small amount is not dangerous, but higher amounts can cause problems).
5. Plastic Water Bottle Production Uses A Lot of Energy
Plastic water bottle production uses up a lot of energy & water. One big problem with plastic is that its production requires the use of non-renewable fossil fuels. Most plastic bottles are made from a plastic known as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which is produced using oil. This isn't the only time that energy is wasted during the process, either.
Energy is used during the whole lifespan of the plastic bottle, including storage, transportation, and even the final disposal of the bottle. Worldwide, the energy embedded in our use of bottled water is equivalent to 450 million barrels of oil each year (this is based on statistics from 2012). That’s enough to fuel as many as 25.5 million cars for 1 whole year.
6. There Are Better Ways To Get Your Drinking Water
There are smarter ways to get better drinking water than to buy bottles. If you don’t want to drink it straight out of the tap, that’s fine and understandable. Buying your own water filter can help. You can buy filters that attach straight to your tap, or you can buy a special water filter jug that you fill up. There are also filter water bottles you can purchase for when you’re on the go. Carrying your own stainless steel bottle is easy, and you can fill it up on the go with water fountains. There’s no need to buy plastic water bottles anymore!
7. You Will Be Much Better Off In The Long Run As A Result (As Will The Planet)
Making the change is simple and it makes a real difference. You will save money, live healthier, and join a movement for global sustainability when you decide to make the change.
As you can see, buying bottled water is no longer necessary, and much better for the whole planet. Buy a water filter jug and a beautiful bottle that you feel excited to use again and again, and quitting bottled water for good shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Start living a more sustainable, healthy lifestyle today!