 Bottled water became a trend in the 1990s when people thought that the health benefits of it were superior to tap water. However, recent findings show that this may not necessarily be the case. Also, the waste that comes from the plastic bottles in landfills has been troubling to many.
Bottled water is not necessarily cleaner or safer than most tap water in the United States. While most bottled water is okay some may present threats because they contain microbial contaminants. According to the report, bottled water consumption has tripled in ten years, with sales reaching $4 billion annually. Yet, bottled water is required to meet standards that are different than those for tap water.
Another perception is that bottled water (or a specific brand of bottled water) tastes better than the alternative. This appears to be more closely related to advertising and brand recognition than actual taste; in general, blind taste tests have not demonstrated the superiority of bottled water.
The final perception is that bottled water is more of a convenience, but they are easy alternatives. For drinking water at home, many purchase a home water filtration system such as Brita or Pur brands. Around one-quarter of bottled water in the United States is just derived from city water supplies, so home water purification is ultimately not much different. Of course, the water supply in the United States is quite safe, so there isn’t much of a need to purify any further. For convenience, the best thing to do is to purchase a reusable water bottle. In general, it’s not safe to reuse bottled-water bottles, since chemicals can leach out of the plastic over time. There is quite an array of options. There are plastic bottles that use safer plastics. There are also aluminum water bottles as well as stainless steel water bottles. Eliminating bottled water is an easy way to have a greener lifestyle. It saves lots of energy and money, and eliminates waste.
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