2. The world spends more than $100
billion every year on bottled water.
Elizabeth Royte’s book Bottle mania:
How Water Went on Sale and Why We
Bought It (2008) added that these
bottles are not even recycled.
Imagine the number of bottles that
end up as trash on landfills right
after their buyers empty them. The
figures are alarming and do not
bode well for nature.
When Water Went on Sale in Plastics
Plastic is everywhere and using it more has a negative
impact to the environment. The Australian Museum
revealed that the country uses more than 400,000
barrels of oil per year to produce the plastic used for
bottled water. Unfortunately, only 30% of these go
through another cycle.
If tap water costs only a cent per litre, then it is a
wonder why Australians buy bottled water for $2.53
per litre. The belief that they are safe may not be
100% true. As news.com.au reports, they found that
some are selling tap water as bottled water and
receiving a 180,000% mark-up from it.
3. Reusing the Bottles Isn’t Really Eco-friendly
Many Australians believe that they are helping the
environment by reusing water bottles, but this might do
more harm than good. Not all bottles are safe for reuse.
Single-use water bottles are made of polyethylene
terephthalate (PET), which is a low cost and lightweight
plastic. Repeated hot-water washing and exposure to
sunlight or heat can dissolve the plastic and let hydrophobic
compounds, like Bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate or DEHA,
combine with water when refilled.
Experts suggest avoiding water bottles altogether.
Homeowners can simply buy a personal water container,
like tumblers and water jugs, and then install water filters.
This is ideal for households who have doubts about the
quality of their tap water.
4. It is time to say no to plastic water bottles. People can help the
environment by not buying them at all. That one bottle is
already a big help, as it will not be an additional piece in the
landfill puzzle.
Sources:
http://www.cleanup.org.au/PDF/au/clean_up_australi
a_bottled_water_factsheet.pdf
http://news.nationalgeographic.com.au/news/2010/03
/100310/why-tap-water-is-better/
http://www.cleanandclearwater.com.au/Undersink-
Water-Filters.html