Environmental Effects of Bottled Water

Bottled water is big business. Approximately 34.6 billion 1-liter-or-smaller plastic water bottles are purchased each year by consumers, according to the Container Recycling Institute. With water largely touted as a key component of a healthy and active lifestyle, the movement towards the convenience of bottled water has left a mark on our current and future environmental picture.

Landfills

• The increase in bottled water production and consumption has had an immense impact on our landfills. Eight out of 10 bottles end up in our landfills or the incinerator, which suggests only two bottles out of every 10 purchased are recycled. Plastic water bottles which find their way to the landfill will take an average of 1,000 years to biodegrade in a landfill. With the availability of recycling centers and programs throughout the country, an increase in recycling rates can help reduce the negative impact bottled water has on our landfills.

Energy

• The production of one year's worth of bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil. Included in this estimation is the fact that water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, which is produced from fossil fuels, including natural gas and petroleum. The U.S. Government Accountability Office advises that much more energy is expended during the production and consumption of bottled water then is expended for public drinking water production. The energy cost on the environment also includes not only the energy to produce and consume the finished product, but also the transportation costs assumed during transport and delivery. Consider also the energy spent to refrigerate the bottles at home and at the store.

Other Effects

• Bottled water production also results in other environmental impacts. For every ton of PET produced, three tons of carbon dioxide are produced, according to the Pacific Institute. The production of bottled water also contributes to an increase in greenhouse gases, which can have an impact on global warming. Additionally, the production of bottled water requires three liters of water to produce just one liter of bottled water, leading to the unecessary depletion of a natural resource.