Bottled Water or Tap Water?
Picture courtesy of Waste Management
Walking the streets of Worcester, MA you see the empty discarded plastic bottles of water all over the place. Nobody will ever admit that they are a liter bug but the empty water bottles are everywhere and it isn’t a name brand issue problem. From top of the line bottled water to the same water that is pumped into millions of plastic bottles by the local beverage manufacturer from I might add the local city water supply are cast out of car windows. For that matter chucked by joggers, whipped into the woods by school kids, and just dropped by walkers and occasional strollers taking the air.
Check the back seat of your car or minivan and count the empties rolling around back there. Kids will be kids but Mom and Dad have some ownership of all the empties back there too. If they don’t find the recycle bin then they can eventually end up in landfills, incinerators and on our streets. I think I read somewhere online once that the cost of making the container for the bottled water is higher than the cost of the product inside of it.
Over at the Boston Herald they have this interesting piece on the upcoming battle over bottled water and tap water…
Hub protesters: Don’t go near the (bottled) water
By Donna Goodison
Thursday, October 11, 2007 - Updated 16h ago
Corporate Accountability International wants us to turn on our faucets to quench our thirst.
The Boston organization launched a national pledge drive yesterday to convince consumers to opt for tap water over bottled water. Its “Think Outside the Bottle” campaign also seeks the support of officials who “prioritize municipal water systems over corporate profits,” organizer Liz Gary said.
The group, which rallied at City Hall Plaza, ultimately hopes to convince Mayor Thomas Menino to follow San Francisco’s lead and stop city-funded bottled water expenditures. Its goals are to protect the environment from the billions of plastic water bottles that end up in landfills and as litter and to restore confidence in public water systems.
“Bottled water corporations are undermining confidence in tap water by advertising their product as somehow cleaner and safer,” Gary said. “But the truth is there is no evidence to prove their claims. It’s overpriced and mostly comes from municipal water sources anyway.”
The city of Boston has started a feasibility analysis to determine whether it can stop funding bottled water purchases for city departments, said James Hunt, the city’s environment and energy chief. - Boston Herald
I’m not a bottled water person. We don’t subscribe to a bottled water service unless you count the water to the house from the plumbing coming in from the street.
There will always be bottled water drinkers in our society. It’s almost up there with flag waving and patriotism. If you want to curb the waste that ends up on our streets then you need to make water bottles the same as soda cans and bottles, of course beer bottles and cans with a deposit on them. Nothing makes a consumer more vigilant against litering than tossing a nickle to the curb.
As for the tap water and bottled water debate, I don’t have a dog in the fight other than the endless amount of discarded carcasses of the fallen soldiers from consumers of bottled water. Water is water to me.
Papamoka
Walking the streets of Worcester, MA you see the empty discarded plastic bottles of water all over the place. Nobody will ever admit that they are a liter bug but the empty water bottles are everywhere and it isn’t a name brand issue problem. From top of the line bottled water to the same water that is pumped into millions of plastic bottles by the local beverage manufacturer from I might add the local city water supply are cast out of car windows. For that matter chucked by joggers, whipped into the woods by school kids, and just dropped by walkers and occasional strollers taking the air.
Check the back seat of your car or minivan and count the empties rolling around back there. Kids will be kids but Mom and Dad have some ownership of all the empties back there too. If they don’t find the recycle bin then they can eventually end up in landfills, incinerators and on our streets. I think I read somewhere online once that the cost of making the container for the bottled water is higher than the cost of the product inside of it.
Over at the Boston Herald they have this interesting piece on the upcoming battle over bottled water and tap water…
Hub protesters: Don’t go near the (bottled) water
By Donna Goodison
Thursday, October 11, 2007 - Updated 16h ago
Corporate Accountability International wants us to turn on our faucets to quench our thirst.
The Boston organization launched a national pledge drive yesterday to convince consumers to opt for tap water over bottled water. Its “Think Outside the Bottle” campaign also seeks the support of officials who “prioritize municipal water systems over corporate profits,” organizer Liz Gary said.
The group, which rallied at City Hall Plaza, ultimately hopes to convince Mayor Thomas Menino to follow San Francisco’s lead and stop city-funded bottled water expenditures. Its goals are to protect the environment from the billions of plastic water bottles that end up in landfills and as litter and to restore confidence in public water systems.
“Bottled water corporations are undermining confidence in tap water by advertising their product as somehow cleaner and safer,” Gary said. “But the truth is there is no evidence to prove their claims. It’s overpriced and mostly comes from municipal water sources anyway.”
The city of Boston has started a feasibility analysis to determine whether it can stop funding bottled water purchases for city departments, said James Hunt, the city’s environment and energy chief. - Boston Herald
I’m not a bottled water person. We don’t subscribe to a bottled water service unless you count the water to the house from the plumbing coming in from the street.
There will always be bottled water drinkers in our society. It’s almost up there with flag waving and patriotism. If you want to curb the waste that ends up on our streets then you need to make water bottles the same as soda cans and bottles, of course beer bottles and cans with a deposit on them. Nothing makes a consumer more vigilant against litering than tossing a nickle to the curb.
As for the tap water and bottled water debate, I don’t have a dog in the fight other than the endless amount of discarded carcasses of the fallen soldiers from consumers of bottled water. Water is water to me.
Papamoka
Technorati Tags:
Recycling, Bottled Water, Bottled Water Containers, Polyethylene, Plastic Containers, Landfills, Plastic Decomposition, Consumer Waste, Empty Bottles, Street Trash, Waste Management, Trash, Trash to Energry, Wheelabrator, Bottling Water, Joggers, Atheletes, Runners, Water, Water Analysis, Water Treatment, City Water, Spring Water, Water addiction, Empty Bottles, Bottled Water Cost, Home delivery of Water, Yuppie Water, Water Intake, Water Supply, Treatment Plant, Discarded Water Bottles
Labels: Boston Herald, Bottle Bill, Bottled H2O, Bottled Water, Coca Cola Bottling, Deposit bottles, Donna Goodison, Evian, Poland Spring, Polar
posted by Papamoka at
7:33 PM
2 Comments:
Ahh! Drink our local tap water?! Nnnnooooo! There are quite a few pig farms around here, not to mention pig whatever being spread over local fields, along with pesticides, fertilizers, and who knows what else. The water from our faucet seriously smells like pig poo. Won't tell you what it looks like. So bottled spring water it is, for now. And recycling is a must. We live only half a block away from the recyling shed, which is a plus, but not a necessity. It's ridiculous that people still toss recyclables over their shoulders or into the garbage. Sad that you are right, that more people would recycle if they got a little cash from it. Isn't our planet worth more than money?
Heehee... remember the kitten that looks like yours? He prefers spring water too. :)
Good observation!
We all joke about the genius who came up with the idea of selling water but the real cost might just be all the litter we deal with.
As for bottled vs. tap? Well I suppose you have to make sure the quality of your local water is good but I'm not convinced that bottled water is as 'pure' as they say it is.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home