Why You Should Say Goodbye to Bottled Water Forever

It’s time to finally abandon bottled water. We all know it’s a convenient option, but it’s costing us in more ways than one. In a previous article, I spoke about why it’s not advisable to reuse water bottles, but in this one, we’re going to delve a bit deeper into the reasons why we should do away with bottled water completely.

1. It’s Expensive in the Long Run

We all know that buying a single bottle of water is cheaper than filling up from a vending machine. Still, that’s just short-term thinking. Bottled water, on average, costs $7.50 per gallon, which is 2,000 times more expensive than the water that comes from our taps. In 2012, Americans spent 6.5% more on bottled water than they did the previous year. That’s a significant amount of money, given that we have already invested in water utilities and infrastructure.

2. Bottled Water Pollutes the Environment

In the United States alone, people buy around 500 million bottles of water each week, according to National Geographic. The majority of these bottles end up in landfills or waterways, or worst still, in the oceans. This causes severe damage to the environment, harming aquatic life and costing us all in cleanup efforts.

3. It’s Not Cleaner than Tap Water

There are no specific regulations governing bottled water, and the Food and Drug Administration, which enforces the regulations that do exist has far fewer resources than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates tap water. A 1999 research study tested over 1,000 bottles of water from 103 different brands and found that while the water was safe to drink, there were contaminants that exceeded state standards. Over a decade later, nothing has changed in the regulations that govern bottled water. It’s clear that tap water is the cleaner option.

4. Bottled Water Companies Aren’t Honest

Some companies will claim that their products are sourced from natural springs, whereas others do not. The shocking truth is that up to 45% of bottled water comes from sources of municipal water that are also used in our taps. There is no reason to pay for water that comes from your faucet. Brands like Aquafina and Dasani are even worse. They use municipal water sources and don’t even hide the fact.

5. Buying Bottled Water Sets a Bad Example

750 million people lack access to clean drinking water globally. Buying bottled water is a waste of a precious resource when the world has a water crisis. It’s essential to shift the focus to providing clean drinking water to these people instead of perpetuating a bizarre and backwards industry.

How Can We Shift Our Focus?

The United Nations estimates that only 1/6th of the $100 billion that we spend yearly on bottled water would be enough to provide access to clean water for half of the world’s population. Instead of spending our money on bottled water, we should be sending it to those who most need it. We should buy a reusable water bottle and refill it with tap or filtered water.

So, what’s your take on bottled water? Are you still going to buy it or take the necessary steps to do away with it once and for all? We need to take responsibility for our environment, our finances, and the world’s water crisis, and choosing to ditch bottled water is an excellent place to start.