Green Living Blog: Why bottled water's bad and what you can do about it
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There was a time when the idea of paying for a bottle of water would be laughable. Nowadays, however, most people think nothing of spending a couple of dollars on prettily packaged tap water – and of just as quickly disposing of the plastic bottle it came in. (We'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say the bottle was recycled.)
There's a number of problems with bottled water:
• It's overpackaged – both the production of the bottle and the mechanics of its disposal are hard on the environment.
• Transportation of bottled water – sometimes from halfway around the world – takes its toll in terms of the fossil fuels used to transport it.
• In cases where the bottled water is nothing more than filtered tap water, companies often have unlimited usage of municipal supplies, even in communities that suffer from water shortages.
• It's a waste of money that could be better spent helping poor communities around the world establish safe sources of water.
Of course, there are situations that demand buying bottled water, and if you're thirsty and in a bind, it's certainly healthier for you than most of the other beverages for sale on shelves. But when it comes to living green, we should all be trying to keep bottled water purchases – and even purchases of other bottled beverages – to a minimum. Here are some suggestions:
• Bring your own refillable bottle whenever you can – to the gym, in the car, at work or when travelling. Splurge on a nice one that you'll be happy to tote around – I love my Sigg water bottle, which is made of aluminum with a taste-neutral lining.
• If you're not satisfied with the taste of your municipal water, get a good filter.
• If you're at all concerned with the safety of your municipal water supply, do something about it rather than avoiding it. A good supply of safe drinking water is an essential community resource.
• When you must buy bottled water, choose local suppliers over imports, and always recycle the bottle!
What did I miss? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Today's code word: bottled
Read more:
• Are plastic drinking bottles bad for your health?
• Water: How much should you drink every day?
• The healthiest water to drink
April 1st, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Good Morning, Kat!
David Suzuki always claims that tap water is absolutely fine.
One of the problems with reusing water bottles in the hope of saving the environment, is that they are more likely to get infected with e-coli, mould, etc. etc. That's apart from the (dubious to some) claims that the plastic leaches out into juice, etc. It seems that whatever bottle you use to carry water in, whether bought already filled or replenished with something else, should be really clean. So the question is- how easy are these bottles to clean? I'd like to hear your experience of cleaning the Sigg one out. They look sturdy enough for my teens, nad of course, myself.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Caroline, I only use my bottle for water, so I just swish the bottle with soapy water then rinse and dry. The lid comes apart and I wash that a bit more carefully as it usually ends up coated in lip balm!
Sigg says you can use the bottles for other beverages as well and I think they sell a special brush you can use for washing them out.
I should note that these are quite sturdy, and although mine has a couple of dents (I hit it with a tennis ball at least once), the inside coating is still intact.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Last year, my children's public school was found to have lead levels in the water that were too high. When I called the city to have our levels tested at home as we live in the same neighbourhood, I was told no until I said I would get it done myself by a third-party. Within two days my home water was tested and I was told it was fine, but that I should flush out my system every morning. As for the school, the Board tested it, and as parents we were told that it met their levels for safety. The water is supposed to be flushed for half an hour each morning, but my children say that often after a long weekend, the water is warm when they first drink it. Given all the problems, we now drink bottled water. I know I am shifting from one problem to another, but I find it very difficult to trust the water supply. Perhaps I am still ignorant, but once trust is lost on something as essential as water, it is difficult to get back.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
We used to have the best tasting tap water around....until the Walkerton scare. Now our town believes that pouring gallons of chlorine into the water will make it better. Maybe, but it tastes horrible!! Yes, a water filter would work I suppose but we also have extremely hard water. We have purchased and used water filters in the past just to have them get clogged and broken. (we went through 3 in one month) So, although I agree buying water in a bottle is wasteful and bad for the environment, until our town comes up with a better solution for tap water, I will continue to buy. I do try to buy local though and I ALWAYS recycle.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:38 pm
If you don't like the taste of your water due to chlorine, and know that your water supply is safe, there is a really inexpensive way to get great tasting water.
Invest in a ceramic water pitcher. It won't cost you more than about $20. I keep a pitcher next to the kitchen sink. When I use it, I fill it up again with cold water (I let the water run until I know it is fresh, cold water).
It takes about 20 minutes for most of the chlorine to evaporate out of the water, but I have this on the counter all the time. An added bonus for using the ceramic pitcher is that it keeps the water naturally cool, even in the summer. (There is a technical reason for this, I just can't remember what it is!)
April 1st, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I used to live in Mississauga and the water was fine to drink, but when we moved to Brantford, the water was gross, so yellow that my ice cube trays are yellow on the bottom, so I use bottled water, plus they have done testing on Brantford's water and it has been shown that some it is full of lead and they have to replace the pipes that go into their house to fix it (I think that the city should pay, it's not fair on the people who moved in and never knew that the water was horrible!!
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I agree - soap and water should be good enough. But if you are really concerned, you can get the product used to sanitize wine bottles (or just try good old vinegar).
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Did you know that unless a source is named on the label e.g. spring water, it is plain tap water.
Bottled water is the number one profit maker for both Coca Cola and Pepsi who are the main bottlers.
What if we spent that money on building wells to give third world nations clean water?
Connie
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Instead of running the water until it is cold, which is a great waste and not a green way to get cold water, fill your jug and put it in the refrigerator to enjoy cold, chlorine-free drinking water any time.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:01 pm
The reason why I drink bottled water is because it is COLD !!!!From my kitchen tape it is ok , but a bottled water from the cooler is COLD . I buy a 24 or 30 case every week !!! think I may have an addition !!!!Nothing like a cold drink of water.