City of Seattle bans bottled water
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San Francisco city was the first one that banned bottled water, and then the city of Chicago taxed those who bought bottled water and now the city of Seattle is banning the bottled water to cut down on trash and help the environment.
Mayor Greg Nichols signed an executive order Thursday banning the bottled water for the city of Seattle. The city will save as much as $58,000 a year by not purchasing water for special events and water-cooler jugs for its workers. Mary McOmber, the mayor’s spokesman told Seattle Times: It is to really highlight the fact that Seattle has one of the best municipal water supplies in the country…When you look at the cost of bottled water, both in terms of financial costs and costs on the environment, it's a pretty clear choice that using city water is a much better choice." They said that producing bottles for U.S. consumers required more than 17 million barrels of oil, which doesn’t include fuel required to transport the bottles. And only one of 10 bottles is recycled. The mayor said the bottled water costs about $8 per gallon, whereas a gallon of tap water costs a fraction of a penny. The tap water source in Seattle comes from the rain and snowpack in Cedar River and Tolt River watersheds, both are protected natural areas. The city workers can still bring the bottled water to work, but the city won’t buy it for them. Vendors operating sports events in Key Arena and Seattle Center can sell bottled water. The city will also make exceptions in emergencies according to the Mayor’s executive order. Bottling water also consumes more water, a study reported nearly 171 billion gallons of fresh water is used to bottle 41 billion gallons of bottled water. In many cases the source of the bottled water is the same as the source of the tap water and the price of bottled water costs even more than a gallon of fuel for cars. Kudos to Seattle and San Francisco for leading the way, other cities and governments should do the same; it is a no brainer and the right thing to do.
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Comments
Rhym, I use tap water but also use Braun water filtering system and have a reusable plastic bottle it costs only a little every month and does a great job. The bottled water, only the big companies they make huge profit. In this it costs them only 5 cents but sell for $1 and they get greedy. We have to stop encouraging them and help the environment.
cgull8m
This was very interesting. I also use the Braun in my home, but it is really convenient to take a bottle when traveling somewhere. Also, plastic bottles for water storage in case of emergencies is a must for me too. I think that they must have their place, but might be better used in moderation. Thank you for pointing out these amazing facts.
I agree moderation is the key. Thanks for your comment.
Yea! I knew this was in the works...as I live in Seattle. Plastic bags are next (hopefully).
Thats wonderful Stacie, hope other establishments follow the same. Cheers
We are fortunate to live in a municipality that provides superior tap water, superior in terms of its purity that is. However, I can't tolerate the taste of it. I used to have the Brita filter and pitcher, which was very good, until I bought a new refrigerator with a built-in water filtration system, and I'm very happy with it. When we start out on a road trip, we put that filtered water into refillable plastic bottles for ourselves and portable water dispensers for the dogs. When we use that up and need more, we buy bottled water on the road. I, too, agree that moderation is the key.
Thanks for the good info on the cost and waste associated with bottled water.
I think bottled water is a bit of a scam in most countrys when tap water is good enough!! evian spell backwords is naive!!
Sally, that is a smart thing to do, I am glad the new refrigerators have the built in feature also.
Thanks compu-smart, I agree, the problem is they drink the bottled water and throw them everywhere. It is just irritating.
Super! This is really encouraging! Thanks for the great hub.
Thanks Stephhicks, with a good filtering system at home, we can save a lot and also help the environment. There is no cool in dumping so many bottles on the streets, it ends up in the drain or in the sea and chokes fish and other marine creatures. It doesn't degrade at all also.
Very important topic. And now realise this to be as bad as plastic bags thanks for making me aware of this. I never buy bottled water. Although we half fill bottles and freeze for my husband and son to take to work. We top up with fresh water and keep in eskies when needing a drink. That way it stays much colder and good for taking on trips in the car or anywhere for that matter. Thanks again.
I am glad you guys are doing the right thing Eileen. Cheers.
Rhym O'Reison says:
16 months ago
I had no idea there is so much waste associated with bottled water, both before and after consumption. I think the cities should be applauded. I never buy water if I can help it.