Buying bottled water has gotten out of control. I routinely see people purchasing huge cases of it from Costco and other stores. What seems to be a reasonable price, is far from reasonable. Even cheap bottled water is expensive when compared to tap water. So why do people buy it?
Excuse #1: It’s convenient.
Grabbing a bottle of water is more convenient than filling a reusable bottle that then needs to be saved, washed and reused. In the disposable, fast-paced, easy and convenient world we live in, this seems to be a sad reality for many. Although you may save yourself a few minutes here and there, in the long run you are paying more for the same quality of water and you are contributing to issue of pollution. Oh, and did you forget that you had to buy the water and bring it home where you already had water ready for consumption?
Excuse #2: It’s better quality.
Did you know that almost half of all bottled water is tap water? That’s right, you are paying a premium on the water that comes right to your home! Aquafina bottles, for example, are filled from municipal water sources. Tap water and bottled water have different standards in Canada. Our municipal water is tested regularly to meet the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality standards. Toronto, for example, tests their water every 4 to 6 hours and they are testing for more than 300 different chemical contaminants and the results are posted online.
In comparison, the bottled water industry is covered under the Food and Drugs Act which doesn’t set specific limits on contaminants, it just states that the product can’t contain “poisonous or harmful substances” and that it must be prepared in a sanitary environment. This means that your bottle of water may not have been tested at all and if it has, it was only for a few chemical contaminants.
Excuse #3: The bottles can be recycled.
Yes, the bottles can be recycled, but recycling does not solve as many issues as we are led to believe. Also, does everyone recycle water bottles? I see these bottles all over the place. People leave them on shelves in stores, stuffed into places of ‘convenience’, floating down rivers, on beaches, etc. And if there isn’t a recycling location extremely close to where a person finishes their expensive bottle of water, it will probably end up in the trash.
What can you do?
Purchase a reusable water bottle and fill it from your own tap or at local ‘fill up’ stations that are springing up at schools, hospitals and parks.
Save your money and the environment at the same time.
Sound like a win-win?
It is.
To learn more about why we buy bottled water and how we need ask ourselves more questions and question all the advertisements that tell us what we need, check out the following video.
Sources:
“Aquafina labels to spell out source – tap water”. CNN Health. July 27, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
“Spinning the Bottle: Tackling Industry Spin on Bottled Water.” (n.d.): n. pag. The Council of Canadians. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
Stastna, Kazi. “Bottle vs. Tap: 7 Things to Know about Drinking Water.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
“Tap or Bottled? You Decide.” (n.d.): n. pag. Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Web.
York University. “Bottled Water Facts.” (n.d.): n. pag. York University, Sustainabilty. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
