What is the Big Deal with Bottled Water?
- InspiringGreenLiving
- Jul 15, 2022
- 5 min read
Hello, and welcome back! I'm glad that you're here. If you're new, then welcome for the first time to my tiny little slice of the internet. I appreciate your presence here with me. Today's blog post is going to be about - you guessed it - bottled water. I'll be talking about just how expensive bottled water can be and the impact that bottled water has on the environment. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it!
Okay, so how much does it really cost to use bottled water every day? In last week's blog post, "How to Travel Sustainably," I discussed my personal use of reusable water bottles vs bottled water. To recap: it is recommended that you need 64 oz. of water on average per day to maintain a healthy hydration level. The average bottled water nowadays is 16.9 oz. (I used to see 12 oz.). So, according to those numbers, the average person needs to drink four bottled drinks of water per day to maintain healthy hydration. One package from Amazon of Kirkland brand 16.9 oz. bottled water - 40 count - will run you approximately $25.09. Rounded up, that means each bottled water costs $0.63. Four bottled drinks of water every day for one year equals 1,460 bottles of water per year. That means that the average person will spend approximately $919.80 on bottled water per year. And that is just for one person. For a family of two, that's $1,839.60. And for a family of four, that's $3,679.20 every year. Almost four grand for the average family of four. I have personally been using reusable water bottles for 5+ years now. Let's say I paid $10 for each reusable water bottle I have. That means, in total, I paid $70 for my reusable water bottles. That's already an $849.80 in savings. Not to mention that reusable water bottles are... reusable. I'm not paying $10 each time I need to fill up my water bottle. With water fountains relatively available, it's easy and free to refill a reusable water bottle. So, reusable bottles not only save you money, but they'll help keep plastic out of the ocean and out of landfills as well.
Why is it so important to no longer use bottled water? Microplastics. Microplastics are defined as, "extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste," (Source: ). Continue reading to learn more!
So why not just pick up those small pieces of plastic? That's the thing. It's tiny. And I mean microscopic. These pieces never fully break down and "disappear" to become part of the natural environment again. Plastic is forever. It will simply break down into smaller and smaller pieces forever.
Okay, so if it's so small, why worry about it? Did you know that you're eating it? The plastic? It's been found in numerous species of marine life, including fish. Microplastics have been found in the human placenta (how a fetus is attached to a uterus), and you can read about that here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33395930/#:~:text=In%20total%2C%2012%20microplastic%20fragments,of%20morphology%20and%20chemical%20composition. Microplastics are literally in our blood. Read more about that here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/microplastics-detected-in-human-blood-180979826/. Microplastics are in our water sources across the globe.
Okay, so wouldn't it be good then to drink bottled water? That way, we avoid ingesting plastics. You would think, but that's part of the issue. The more plastic we use and discard, the more plastic gets thrown away and becomes more microplastics. So, the more we use bottled water to avoid microplastics, the more microplastics we create.
How do we stop microplastics then? The best solution is to stop it from the source - no longer using plastic. I'm not telling you to never use plastic again. I use plastic. However, try to use plastic that can be recycled in your area. My area recycles only #1 and #2 plastics, and no black plastic whatsoever. So, when buying items, it's good to make sure you aim for items that you can recycle, if possible, or buy items in glass instead. There are now lots of places that will take plastic bags, such as Kroger and WinCo. If you gather your plastic bags, these companies will collect them and send them out to be recycled. One great way of reducing plastic use is to use cleaning products that are in glass bottles. You can also purchase cleaning concentrates or tablets that get mixed with water to create a refill. This is a great way to reduce plastic consumption. However, as I explained earlier, a great start is by getting reusable water bottles. You can get metal or glass to be even more environmentally friendly - by avoiding a plastic reusable water bottles.
Okay, but I'm worried about what is in my tap water. I don't feel comfortable drinking water straight out of the tap. Understandable. Especially remembering instances like what is happening in Flint, Michigan with their water crisis (lethal lead amounts in their water - for those who don't know), it's perfectly understandable that people don't trust their water as much. For this, I say invest in a water filtration system. It doesn't have to be one for your house, but there are many options for purifying your water, such as Brita filters. Some options attach directly to your faucet, and some options sit on your counter. I have a Brita filter that sits on the counter. I am on well water, so I don't think my water is necessarily dirty, but I do like that extra line of defense when it comes to the safety of my water. A Brita standard everyday water filter pitcher runs you about 28.99 on Amazon.com (Source: 1). A six-count of replacement pitcher water filters, also a Brita brand, goes for 24.99, which is 4.17 per count (Source: 2). These filters will last 40 gallons or approximately 2-3 months. If you replace these filters every 2 months, a six-pack will last you one year. So, in one year, you can spend 24.99 plus a one-time additional purchase of 28.99 for one pitcher and one filter. Your first year will cost just under $54, and it will cost $25 per year after that. So, instead of spending $919.80 in one year, you can spend just under $54 in one year, which is $865.82 in savings the first year, and $894.80 in savings every year after that just by switching to a water filter pitcher. Almost $900 in savings every year by switching to reusable and eco-friendly resources. I will say, one downside to the Brita filter is that you have to throw away the filter after two months. It's not recyclable. That, I would say, is the only downside to having a Brita filter. There are other brands of water filters, like LifeStraw. However, I do not have any personal experience with those, as I use a Brita Filter. If you have any suggestions, I would be more than happy to hear about them and your recommendations and share those with other readers. Another downside is that not all filter pitchers are created equal. Some do not filter out microplastics, so it is important to check if the filter you want will keep microplastics out of your water. Thank you for stopping by at my little corner of the internet. Your presence is welcome and wanted. Thanks for reading thus far. I appreciate you. - Inspiring Green
Informal Works Cited:
1. Brita Standard Everyday Water Pitcher
2. Brita Standard Water Filter Replacement, Six-Count
3. Google search - Define Microplastics
4. Microplastics Detected in Human Blood
5. Microplastics Detected in Human Placenta
Formal Works Cited:
“Brita Standard Everyday Water Filter Pitcher, White, Large 10 Cup, 1 Count.” Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Brita-Pitchers-36205-Everyday-Pitcher/dp/B01FXN3E74.
“Brita Standard Water Filter, Standard Replacement Filters for Pitchers.” Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Brita-Standard-Replacement-Pitchers-Dispensers/dp/B00008IHL8.
Google Search, Google, https://www.google.com/search?q=define%2Bmicroplastics&rlz=1C1RXQR_enUS930US930&oq=define%2Bmicroplastics&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390l2.5743j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.
Magazine, Smithsonian. “Microplastics Detected in Human Blood in New Study.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 28 Mar. 2022, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/microplastics-detected-in-human-blood-180979826/.
Ragusa A;Svelato A;Santacroce C;Catalano P;Notarstefano V;Carnevali O;Papa F;Rongioletti MCA;Baiocco F;Draghi S;D'Amore E;Rinaldo D;Matta M;Giorgini E; “Plasticenta: First Evidence of Microplastics in Human Placenta.” Environment International, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2 Dec. 2020, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33395930/#:~:text=In%20total%2C%2012%20microplastic%20fragments,of%20morphology%20and%20chemical%20composition.
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