With the summer approaching so fast, I want to talk about the water we drink. I often wonder why people drink bottled water? Why people think that bottled water is safer? I watched the documentary, "Tapped" which discredits each of the reason that comes to my mind. Tap water is more regulated than bottled water. Bottled water is self-regulated by the companies. In most cases the bottled water is just tap water.
Plastic bottles leak toxins into the water and we are paying to drink that!
By buying bottled water, we are choosing with our dollars to support/cause:
1. Pertrochemical industries - People who live near those industries suffer from chronic illness and we indirectly support that.
2. Water companies - They make huge profits often exploiting communities that live around those pristine water bodies.
3. Pollution - Only 20% of the water bottles consumed in US gets recycled. Its sad that the bottled water competes with tap water and the city has to take up the job of recycling. Only a few states have been able to impose a deposit per bottle to ensure recycling. When you buy a bottle, you see 5c or 10c with states codes. It means the consumer pays 10cents more in those states and will get that back when they take it to the recycle center. Ofcourse, water companies have lobbied heavily in state legislatures to not bring this law into effect in most states.
Some of the bottles reach the water ways and pollutes marine life. Bottles and other plastic reaching sea, decomposes and forms small shiny colorful pebbles which are attractive to fishes. It again reaches our system when we eat those fishes.
Some say, I recycle the bottles, its it good enough? I say NO, its always better to reduce consumption.
I tried to summarize most facts from the movie but I suggest you watch it to make your choice. There are plenty of options to filter water at home if you don't trust tap water. So, what's your water?
Plastic bottles leak toxins into the water and we are paying to drink that!
By buying bottled water, we are choosing with our dollars to support/cause:
1. Pertrochemical industries - People who live near those industries suffer from chronic illness and we indirectly support that.
2. Water companies - They make huge profits often exploiting communities that live around those pristine water bodies.
3. Pollution - Only 20% of the water bottles consumed in US gets recycled. Its sad that the bottled water competes with tap water and the city has to take up the job of recycling. Only a few states have been able to impose a deposit per bottle to ensure recycling. When you buy a bottle, you see 5c or 10c with states codes. It means the consumer pays 10cents more in those states and will get that back when they take it to the recycle center. Ofcourse, water companies have lobbied heavily in state legislatures to not bring this law into effect in most states.
Some of the bottles reach the water ways and pollutes marine life. Bottles and other plastic reaching sea, decomposes and forms small shiny colorful pebbles which are attractive to fishes. It again reaches our system when we eat those fishes.
Some say, I recycle the bottles, its it good enough? I say NO, its always better to reduce consumption.
I tried to summarize most facts from the movie but I suggest you watch it to make your choice. There are plenty of options to filter water at home if you don't trust tap water. So, what's your water?
good one . Vidhya
ReplyDeleteGreat article!
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