8 Reasons not to drink bottled water

Over the past few years, it has become almost trendy to drink bottled water. Somewhere along the way people got the idea that bottled water can help you be healthier, more fashionable, and even environmentally friendly. The commercials with fresh water flowing down waterfalls gives us the image that bottled water is more pure and special than tap water. We feel as if we're drinking straight from "the source". Bottled water is also convenient, available everywhere, and portable. The truth is that bottled water is costly, wasteful and damaging to the environment. Here are my top 8 reasons to "just say no" to bottled water:

1. Waste - According to the Sierra Club, "every year about 1.5 million tons of plastic go into manufacturing water bottles for the global market, using processes that release toxics such as nickel, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide and benzene. In the U.S. alone 1.5 million barrels of oil are consumed in making the bottles". On top of all this, most of the 30 billion bottles sold each year are not recycled and end up in landfills.
2. Ecosystem damage - The water must come from somewhere. Companies pump large amounts of water from specific areas that can have a significant environmental impact, damaging ecosystems by sucking water from underground aquifers that are the source of water for nearby streams, wells, and farms. Lakes and wet lands are also damaged. Bottled water is also very energy intensive. In fact, it takes 3 litres of water to produce 1 litre of bottled water. Even more energy is used to transport the water to bottling plants, for transport to stores and homes, and to landfills or recycling centres.
3. Harm to wildlife - most plastic bottles are not recycled and can end up in the ocean, and can harm wildlife.
4. Costly - Sure, $2 here and there may not seem like a lot, but let's put it in perspective. Bottled water costs approximately 400-500 times what tap water does. The cost of tap water (U.S. data): $0.0015 per gallon, filtered water: $0.13 per gallon, bottled water: $1.27 per gallon! Nestle, Coke and Pepsi are making billions off the water in your own backyard.
5. Privatization - companies are literally selling your water back to you. At $1.27 per gallon or more! Nestle has taken over small, independent companies and is aggressively looking to expand their share of the the U.S. bottled water market. Coke (Dasani) and Pepsi (Aquafina) use cheap municipal water in the United States. Coke set up a bottled water facility in India, which contaminated the water supply and depleted resources for the local people.
6. Human rights - There have been numerous stories about Nestle, Pepsi and Coke violating human rights for their bottling practices and, often times, the government is the enabler. "In Michigan, Nestle received $9.6 million in tax breaks to site their Ice Mountain bottled water plant in Mecosta County. Yet in Detroit more than 20,000 families have had their water shut off because of inability to pay their water bills when the state refused to provide a subsidy." Sierra Club.
7. It doesn't come from a glacier - In fact Coca Cola’s Dasani and Pepsi’s Aquafina are tap water coming from places like Queens, NY and Jacksonville, FL with some additional treatment.
8. No health benefits - The perception seems to be that bottled water is safer than tap water. In the U.S., "the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has strict water quality standards for tap water, but the EPA does not oversee bottled water." Inspections are required by the FDA for water sold across state lines, but due to an lack of manpower to do widespread monitoring, the industry does the inspecting itself. That's like marking your own test in school. For the record, FDA regulations do not prevent bottling companies from drawing water next to industrial sites, underground storage tanks, or dumps. To date there have been numerous reports of harmful chemicals or bacteria found in bottled water.

What you can do:

If you really don't like tap water in your area, home filters are a good option. Secondly, purchase and use a stainless steel water bottle that will be good for refilling for years to come. Use pitchers of water at your Club and community events.

For more information, visit the Sierra Club

Share