Environmental Effects
The plastic in bottled water is made out of oil. Oil is extracted from the earth which causes huge environmental devastation such as oil leakages into drinking water and land. When oil leakages occur, it poisons the water supply and damages the land which leaves it barren.
Also, only a small percentage (about 20%) of plastic bottles are recycled. Most bottled water is thrown into the trash and sent off to a land fill or into the ocean where it will live for generations to come.
So, although bottled water may be convenient for you, it is not convenient for the environment.
Waste of Money
Water is a natural resource which is essentially free. It should be free for all being that it is a “commons”. Water is a human right.
Therefore, when you have one entity bottling up and privatizing a natural resource meant for all, this is what we call a “tragedy of the commons”. Water corporations buy land with immense water supply for pennies. They then sell it back to us for a 100% profit. This may sound like a “smart entrepreneur” move, however, not when it turns into “who can afford to have water and who cannot”. We are not talking a man-made commodity, we are talking a natural resource of which we need to survive. We do not want to put that much power into anyone’s hands.
Save your money by purchasing a reusable water bottle one time for about $5 and a water filter for $20. This will last you for years with little to no effects on the environment. Buying cases of bottled water every week can add up.
24pck bottled water = $5
Let’s say you drink 3 water bottles per day. That is 21 bottles per week. Therefore, you buy four 24 packs of bottled water per month. That equals roughly $20 per month. Conservatively.
$5 per pack x 4 weeks = $20
For a year, that would be $240.
$20 per month x 12 months = $240 a year
OR
Purchase a water bottle for about $5 and drink the fresh water coming from your tap (which you are already paying for). If you are not comfortable with drinking from the tap, purchase a water filter for about $20.
If you choose to go the filter route, a year supply of water refills are about $24.
$5 water bottle + $20 filter jug + $24 filter refills = $54 roughly
This is a one time purchase. The following years, you will spend $24 a year for filter refills. You will save $100s!
Health
There is a common misconception that bottled water is healthier than tap water. When in actuality, tap water is more regulated for safety and health than bottled water. Also, most bottled water is just plain old tap water in most cases. The Food and Drug Administration oversees bottled water, and U.S. EPA is in charge of tap water. FDA lacks the regulatory authority of EPA.
The EPA requires public water systems to provide reports to customers about their water, noting its source, evidence of contaminants, and compliance with regulations. The FDA does not require bottled water companies to disclose to consumers where the water came from, how it has been treated or what contaminants it contains.
GAO
On top of the lackadaisical regulation on bottled water, bottled water is contained in a plastic bottle for its entire lifecycle. Plastic is made from oil which leads to serious health issues. Chemistry explains how particles from the plastic bottle can slowly break down and seep into the water it is containing. Essentially, bottled water is filled with hormone-disrupting toxins. It’s basically a bottle full of cancerous liquid.
This is why pregnant women are advised not to drink bottled water. This is also the reason why we are advised against drinking bottled water than has been left baking in the sun. For example, hot bottled water you left in your car.
We have to destroy the narrative that bottled water is better than your tap water. Of course, there are always exceptions due to cities having pollutants in their water system. However, the reason you know about it is that they are required to tell you. Bottled water companies are not required to tell you about the contaminants in their water.
Privatization of Water
Now, we get to the part most people do not take into consideration. As explained above, water is a commons. Meaning, water is for everyone and it does not belong to anyone entity. Water should be a shared resource. However, when a single corporation, like Nestle, decides to “own” an entire water supply, this is when water becomes privatized. Corporations essentially steal the water which communities use for survival.
In 1st world countries, we do not see the dangers this can cause. However, other countries feel this immensely when they are denied access to water simply because they cannot “afford it”. Corporations suck communities dry of water while then trying to sell it back to them at a cost.
Imagine a river full of water of which a community uses. Now imagine a huge corporation sucking the river dry, placing it into a tank, and then telling the community; if they want this water, they have to pay them. This is the bottled water industry.
With the shortage of fresh water, we cannot afford to entrust corporations with our rights to water. It’s like selling air.
Now that we know the effects of the bottled water of bottled water, we can do something about it. It is all about supply and demand. Bottled water companies will not supply bottled water if we do not demand it. Do your part before it is too late. Have you seen Mad Max?
ECO BAE 