Why is bottled water bad for the environment?

1. 88

   Shil1978posted 13 years ago

   Why is bottled water bad for the environment?

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2. 0

   ankigarg87posted 13 years ago

   According to a 2001 report of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), roughly 1.5 million tons of plastic are expended in the bottling of 89 billion liters of water each year.While the contents themselves are not especially harmful, the process of producing bottled  water is not doing the environment any favors. Many health-conscious consumers strongly believe bottled water is preferable to ordinary tap water, and the bottled water industry's profits run in the billions of dollars (USD) annually. Even if the bottling and shipping aspects of bottled  water have a negative impact on the environment, the end result is still viewed as a healthier alternative than tap water  processed through municipal treatment plants.

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3. 73

   FuzzyCookieposted 13 years ago

   simply because bottle is made of plastic and that hurts the environment. Water aint bad but the bottle is bad

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4. 61

   waterfilterladyposted 13 years ago

   The Problem With Bottled Water & It's Effects On Our Environment
   
   1.5 million barrels of oil are used annually to manufacture plastic water bottles. (Earth Policy Institute)
   2 million tons of plastic bottles are land filled every year. (Worldwatch Institute)
   Only 1 out of every 10 plastic bottles is recycled.
   Bottled water has to either be pumped out of the ground or treated. Up to 1500 gallons of water are wasted during this process.
   
   Bottled water uses fossil fuels in the making, filling, transporting, and recycling of plastic water bottles…up to 187 gallons of oil are spent!
   1 billion pounds of CO2 is emitted in the transportation of bottled water in the United States alone.
   
   40% of PET bottles recycled in the United States in 2004 were exported – adding to the resources used.
   
   Bottled water is drinking water packaged in plastic or glass containers. The dominant form is water packaged in new Polyethylene terephthalate bottles and sold retail. Another method of packaging is in larger high-density polyethylene plastic bottles, or polycarbonate plastic bottles, often used with water coolers.
   
   PET bottled water containers make up one-third of 1 percent of the waste stream in the United States.An estimated 50 billion bottles of water are consumed per annum in the US and around 200 billion bottles globally.
   
   The recent documentary Tapped argues against the bottled water industry, asserting that tap water is healthier, more environmentally sustainable and more ecologically just than bottled water. The film focuses on the bottled water industry in the United States. The film has largely seen positive reviews, and has spawned college campus groups such as Beyond the Bottle.
   
   The Answer?
   
   Home Water Filter Systems.  A quality home water filter system filters out the dangerous contaminants found in tap water, including lead, chlorine, herbicides and pesticides. The home water filter industry has developed a wide variety of filter options, from drinking water filters to attach to your kitchen faucet, to under sink filters to shower filters to whole house water filters. For more info, visit: http://www.thewaterfilterladysblog.com

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5. 60

   Sterling Carterposted 13 years ago

   We need to return to glass. I see a potential trend here. I have been seeing glass bottles again for some soft drink.
   
   It seems to me though that the glass is cheaper than plastic.
   Beer comes in bottles and they are not the returnable kind, but they should be.   And beer is cheaper than soft drinks.  Go figure...

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6. 60

   lime light powerposted 13 years ago

   Buy a Sigg water bottle and carry your own.
   
   Glass bottles weigh a lot - added fuel cost, added pollution.

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7. 57

   Green Decoreposted 10 years ago

   
   
   Because of the amount of plastic waste that is created from buying water in plastic bottles.  However, there are methods of recycling this waste plastic into useful items - fleece clothing is generally made from recycled plastics and we all know how useful fleece is - it's warm, lightweight and easy to wash as it dries so quickly. 
   
   As we find more uses for this recycled plastic, less of these bottles are going into landfill, especially in countries where recycling facilities are available and convenient to use.  Green Decore of London (http://green-decore.com/) sells indoor'outdoor rugs that are made from recycled plastic bottles.  They are hard-wearing and weatherproof so they are great for use in the garden or around the pool.  The rugs are also mildew resistant making them a great choice for bathrooms where condensation is often a problem.
   
   If you do buy water (and other drinks) in plastic bottles, it can be difficult to know what to do with the empty bottles.  Where there is organised kerbside recycling, it's not so much of a problem.  However, if there are no recycling facilities available, then we're often stuck looking for craft ideas that we can use to upcycle our empty bottles to give them a second purpose.  I've seen people use them as planters in the garden, as containers indoors, as mini greenhouses, etc.  I've also seen plastic bottles used to build a greenhouse - okay, not the most aesthetically pleasing greenhouse you've ever seen, but it does work.  One of the most imaginative uses I've seen is a collection of plastic bottles lashed together to form a canoe!

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