It’s cold, available nearly everywhere, and virtually FREE. Yet, the vast majority of us do not use it or put it in our bodies. What is this commodity that so many of us take for granted? Tap water!
Interestingly, people in North America are paying almost as much for bottled water per gallon (if not more) than they do for gasoline. The water in most parts of the United States and Canada is not only safe for human consumption but also extremely clean. Despite this, many people still choose to buy bottled water instead of filling up containers at home from the tap. Experts suggest that adding an inexpensive water filter to your tap before filling containers may make the water even healthier than store-bought “spring” water, which can sit in plastic bottles for months.
The truth is, according to major sources, bottled water is no better than tap water. Many people today are falling for advertising campaigns that lead us to believe our tap water will harm our bodies.
In 2006, consumers drank over eight billion gallons of bottled water per year, and estimates today are close to double that number. While people think they are making a healthier choice by consuming bottled water—especially compared to sugary sodas and other unhealthy drinks—experts aren’t sure it’s any better than the water that comes straight from our taps.
Even more surprising is that, despite commercials depicting pristine springs and gloriously pure sources, the bottled water industry is poorly regulated. In fact, around 25% of bottled water comes from the same municipal drinking supply that serves our homes. The difference is that it has been cleaned, filtered, and sold at a price that may equate to a thousandfold increase. This information comes from Eric Goldstein, co-director of the National Resources Defense Council, an agency devoted to protecting environmental health.
Some well-known bottled water brands, such as Aquafina and Nestlé Pure Life, are actually just recycled water from public sources. A study conducted by the National Resources Defense Council found that some samples of bottled water were contaminated with phthalates, which can be caused by the packaging. These phthalates disrupt the human endocrine system and are more harmful than the stray bacteria that might be found in tap water. Since tap water suppliers are regulated while water bottlers are not, your chances of encountering issues with tap water are far lower than with bottled water.
Worse still, the excess of bottled water sold in North America contributes to a significant waste problem. When you consider the cost difference between your monthly water bill and an average liter of bottled water, it’s important to understand what you’re paying for. Bottled water companies factor in transportation, packaging, advertising, and distribution costs into every bottle sold. This contributes to substantial environmental impacts, whereas simply turning on your tap has none. Additionally, bottled water generates a large amount of plastic waste. Each year, bottled water alone creates around 2.7 million tons of waste in landfills. Since the plastics used for bottling water are derived from crude oil, the environmental hazards are immense. Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil are produced each year solely for making bottles for water. Could this be part of the reason gas prices are so high?
Furthermore, the plastic waste from your convenient drink takes anywhere from 400 to 1,000 years to degrade in landfills. These plastics are not biodegradable; even if they were, they would cause other environmental catastrophes during decomposition.
Essentially, it comes down to one thing: Bottled water is convenient, but it is not necessary.
You aren’t helping the environment, and chances are, you aren’t getting a healthier product than if you simply turned on your tap. The best solution for those interested in having the best drinking water possible is to use a high-quality water filter on tap water and fill environmentally friendly, phthalate-free containers with it. These bottles can be reused many times and won’t clutter landfills. Plus, the water inside them will likely be safer than what you might find in many well-known brands of bottled water.