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Environmental Advantages of Reusable Water Bottles

Reusable water bottles benefit people in a wide number of ways. Emily Arnold, a researcher with the Earth Policy Institute, told "National Geographic" in 2006 that in addition to being up to 10,000 times more expensive than tap water, under normal circumstances bottled water is neither cleaner nor safer than tap water. Drinking tap water from a reusable Bisphenol A (BPA)-free bottle can actually be healthier than drinking bottled water and be better for the environment. Environmentally, bottled water contributes to global warming, water and soil pollution and can have a negative impact on ecosystems in areas where the water is drained to fill the bottles.

  1. Greenhouse Gases

    • The bottled water industry requires 2.7 million tons of plastic annually. That plastic is made from fossil fuel byproducts and is a contributor to greenhouse gases and global warming. In the U.S. alone, the amount of oil used for plastic water bottles would be enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year. Greenhouse gases can be reduced by recycling plastic water bottles, but it only results in a 24% reduction, and 86% of plastic water bottles used in the U.S. are not recycled, according to Emily Arnold of Earth Policy.

    Transportation

    • In addition to the greenhouse gases caused by making the bottles, water is heavy and must be transported to market. It is unclear how much fuel is required to transport water; however, the heavier the cargo, the more fuel is required to transport it, and bottled water is frequently shipped great distances. The mode of transport will also play a role, with air transit being the costliest in terms of fuel consumption, and trucks being the second most costly, followed by cargo ships and rail transport. Overall, bottled water requires 2,000 times more energy to produce, filter and transport than tap water.

    BPA

    • Plastic water bottles frequently contain BPA, a toxic substance that has been found to cause health problems in laboratory animals and is believed to cause cancer and other health problems in humans. In some countries this substance has been banned, and many bottled water manufacturers are beginning to remove it; however, it still remains in many plastic bottles. In addition to negative consequences for humans drinking from the bottles, BPA can over time leach out into the soil and water. With more than 80% of water bottles in the U.S. ending up in landfills and as litter, this could have dangerous implications over time for humans and animal life.

    Water Sources

    • In a typical water system, a city or town gets its water from a nearby lake, river or aquifer. That water is then replaced by a combination of rainfall and the return of treated and cleaned water from the city's water treatment systems. In the case of bottled water, a bottling company drains millions of gallons of water per day and ships it all over the world. The rapid draining of natural water resources, combined with the fact that this water is not returned to its original source, could have serious consequences for local populations and natural ecosystems.

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