Living in the Arizona desert makes bottled water an exceedingly popular and convenient product, but while plastic water bottles offer convenience, they also create unnecessary waste within our environment and landfills.
I recently completed a state-wide brochure informing Arizonians why water bottles are killing our planet. I am so passionate about the subject that I pick up water bottles off of streets and even in the trash at gas stations to recycle them.
The average American consumes 167 bottles of water per year so not only do we consume at an alarming rate but only 1 in 5 water bottles are recycled. Bottles sent to the landfill contribute to the 3 billion pounds of plastic water bottle waste.
What’s amusing is only 40% of bottled water is actually taken from municipal water sources; better known as “tap water.” Water bottle companies are selling you tap water.
Bottled water companies aren’t required to provide its source or produce water quality reports. Why wouldn’t they want too?
And bottled water isn’t tested for e coli and water companies can distribute water even if it doesn’t meet the quality standards of tap water. Not only is the bottled water a mystery but it comes at high clean up costs by spending tax dollars to dispose of bottles in places such as washes, streets and parks.
Nationally, we spend staggering amounts of money picking up after people who have littered public areas with plastic bottles.
Let me remind you the impact water bottles have on our environment:
When plastics break down they don’t biodegrade, they photo degrade. This means materials break into smaller fragments causing readily absorbed toxins to contaminate our soil, water, plants and animals.
Because so few bottles are recycled, many new plastic bottles must be created each year. In production, more than 800,000 metric tons of harmful pollutants are released into the air to replace the plastic bottles that were thrown away.
The chemical composition of water bottles can cause soil contamination resulting in plants being unable to thrive in soil that has been polluted by toxic substances. Ground water can also end up becoming contaminated if toxic chemicals in water bottles sink deeper into the ground, reaching the ground water reservoir. Our natural water resources are becoming wasted due to the disposal of water bottles.
Producing new plastic products from recycled materials uses two-thirds less energy than creating products from raw materials. This is why buying brand-new plastic toys for your children is a no-no!
When recycled plastic is substituted for raw plastic, greenhouse gas emissions from the process are significantly reduced. Recycled bottles provide an environmentally friendly source for making new products and substitutes recycled materials for new plastic. Recycled plastic bottles make hundreds of everyday products, including fleece jackets, carpeting and lumber for outdoor decking just to name a few.
The more we recycle, the more recycled plastics become available and the more recycled plastics that we buy, the more the industry will create. Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of precious landfill space and recycling, reduction is an important step. A number of bottled water producers are trying to reduce plastic used in their production, also known as light-weighing, to make a positive impact. Using less plastic conserves energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gases.
What can you do?
- Recycle bottles in public places such as along roadways and sidewalks. (instant karma points)
- Drink tap water.
- Buy and reuse reusable bottles.
- Use water filters at home, office and travel.
- Purchase recycled plastics instead of new (raw) plastics. <<<important!
- Educate yourself on tap water.