The Water Bottle Epidemic

By: Mallory Odom
Americans use over 50 billion plastic water bottles each year. However, only 23% of these water bottles are actually recycled. This leaves roughly 38 billion water bottles worth of plastic being wasted each year. It’s unavoidable that society will completely stop drinking from plastic water bottles, but there is a big way we could start to limit the amount of plastic we waste. Using refillable water bottles is not only safer for you, it’s also cheaper, and simply more convenient.
Image result for pictures of water bottle waste
The best way to reduce the use of plastic water bottles is to use refillable water bottles. Some think that bottled water is safer to drink than tap water, but this is false. Most bottled water is really just filtered tap water, and it’s worth it to point out that bottled water from the store is only tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) weekly and the results are not released to the public while tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which requires daily tests for bacteria and toxins with results available to the public.  
Using refillable water bottles is also cheaper for the consumer. The average American spends about $5.00 per week on bottled water, meaning once you pay off a $20.00 water bottle you could save over $200 a year. Prices for water bottles can be 2000x more expensive than using tap water. On top os this, it requires much more money and energy to produce bottled water than it does tap water, and it takes three times the water to make the bottle as it does to fill it.
Image result for pictures of people using recyclable water bottles
Lastly, it’s simply more convenient to use a recyclable water bottle. You can refill it wherever you are as long as you have access to water, and they are durable for travel and last a long time. There are so many different types of water bottles depending on what your personal needs are. My sister even owns one that has a little space in the bottom of the bottle that you can put fruit or lemons in to flavor your water!  One of my New Year's resolutions was to really dedicate to using a refillable water and it’s helped me personally drink more water which is always good for you. Ultimately if society doesn’t begin to use more sustainable practices in their drinking habits, water bottle waste will continue to grow and grow until we can’t come back from it.

Some things to consider:
What are some ways you can personally make an effort to use less plastic water bottles other than a refillable bottle?
Do you think using refillable water bottles is one of the easier ways to reduce plastic waste?
Did you realize how many water bottles are wasted per year?

Sources:


Comments

Anonymous said…
I agree with the post in regards to the belief that refillable water bottles is a great way to reduce the amount of plastic waste and be more environmentally friendly. Another method to reduce plastic waste is for people to recycle any plastic water bottles that they use so that they can be reused. However, a major problem that would arise from the implementation of reusable water bottles is that the individual utilizing the water bottle would need to be close to an abundant source of water in order to be able to effectively refill the bottle multiple times, which could be a dilemma faced by those who reside within drought affected nations and developing nations as a whole. Furthermore, another benefit of plastic water bottles for those residing in developing countries is that the water in plastic water bottles has the assurance to be clean and healthy to use, while refillable water bottles have the potential for individuals to be repeatedly drinking from contaminated water sources. Although refillable water bottles are a great way in which we all can reduce our environmental impact by diminishing the net plastic waste especially in developed nations and nations that possess accessible and safe water sources, they will not be as effective in developing nations who do not have access to clean water. Thus, more environmentally friendly alternatives need to be proposed which could be utilized by individuals in both developed and developing countries.
March 8, 2019 at 10:02 AM
Anonymous said…
So many people use plastic water bottles once and immediately throw them away, which is why I was not that shocked by the number that are thrown away. I personally reuse water bottles becuase it is such a waste to use it only once. Refillable water bottles are a practical way to cut down on this unnecessary trash. More environmentally alternatives to the typical water bottle should be found to make it as sustain as possible
March 8, 2019 at 10:19 AM
Anonymous said…
Given the number of plastic water bottles used annually, it is no surprise that plastic water bottles are a significant factor in creating waste. Therefore, we must encourage the use of reusable water bottles or reusing plastic water bottles. If we use plastic water bottles less, then we can significantly reduce the amount of plastic in the world. Although I understand that the United States consumed a lot of plastic, I did not believe we would use so many water bottles.
March 9, 2019 at 3:18 PM
Anonymous said…
The sheer magnitude of the number of water bottles Americans use is incredible, and frankly, ridiculous. While plastic bottles might offer a convenient, quick route for drinking water, the cost it deals to ourselves and our environment is simply not worth it. Like the post said, refillable water bottles are a cost-efficient and more sustainable method of storing drinking water, as the energy plastics water bottles require and the pollution they produce is simply too much. However, while refillable bottles are a better substitute for plastic water bottles, there are deeper underlying problems concerning mass production and consumption that American culture encourages. Switching to more sustainable alternatives from easy but harmful options, such as buying a refillable water bottle, is a step towards defeating the American inclination towards convenient consumption.
March 10, 2019 at 11:00 AM
Anonymous said…
I was not aware of the amount of water bottles used by Americans every year, and I think that more people should be alert to the alarming number and its consequences. Unregulated impurities inside the bottled water are not the only reason to worry. It also hurts the environment, using 50 million barrels of oil every year, which does not include fossil fuel and emissions costs of greenhouse gases needed to transport the final product to market. Reusable water bottles can be effective solutions to this problem. When you refrain from using disposable bottled water, you save money, live healthier, and join a movement for global sustainability.
March 15, 2019 at 7:24 AM
Lauren Pan said…
I never realized the unsustainability of plastic bottles before reading this. Plastic water bottles are not only a blight on the environment, it turns out they’re bad for your health too. The chemicals found in the bottles and in plastic food containers and packaging can leach out into the contents. It sounds quite terrifying, something as innocent as taking a sip of water from a plastic bottle, something we do every day could be having an adverse effect on our health. Plastic water bottles are causing a flood of harm to our environment, as the vast majority of them end up in landfills, not properly recycled. Plastics don’t biodegrade, instead releasing harmful toxins into the soil and ground water for decades or even centuries. As the purchase of plastic water bottles has risen to unprecedented levels, there is also an alternative environmental cost in the fossil fuels it takes to manufacture and distribute these bottles. However, there are many ways to solve the plastic bottle problem. I think using an environmentally friendly reusable water bottle could help. This is a very simple, yet effective solution to this pressing endemic that could negatively affect the earth in the future.
March 17, 2019 at 9:01 PM
Anonymous said…
Prior to viewing this post, I had known that plastic bottles were unsustainable, but I didn’t realize to what extent or by what means the usage of plastic bottles causes harm. I truly believe if more people began using reusable water bottles, rather than plastic bottles, we would see global improvements in health, environmental safety, and the economy. Some governments have taken pains to eliminate plastic from their local stores, and have experienced great benefits; we should learn from examples on a larger scale and apply such practices to improve the world.
March 18, 2019 at 7:14 AM
Anonymous said…
It is no surprise that the amount of plastic humans waste is in large amounts. I fully support the usage of refillable water bottles instead of wasting plastic water bottles. Another solution is recycling, obviously, so that the amount of plastic that humans use could be recycled into other ways. I use refillable water bottles all the time, but I also need to realize that once I drink out of a plastic water bottle, I should not just throw it away and waste plastic.
March 18, 2019 at 6:20 PM
Jibran Khalil said…
The amount of waste caused by plastic water bottles is immense; I completely agree that refillable water bottles are the way to go as they provide the convenience of having water wherever you go while also ensuring that the environment is not damaged too much. If a larger amount of people began to use reusable water bottles, the environment would immense not only from the decrease in plastic usage but also in that less water would be used as people tend to fill up water bottles and finish the water rather than just throwing away half filled bottles. As plastics are not biodegradable, it is critical that we start shifting away from plastic water bottles into an alternative, like refillable water bottles, that ensure that the environment is not overly damaged.
March 18, 2019 at 8:55 PM
Anonymous said…
I find it shocking that plastic water bottles contribute to majority of the plastic waste. We often do not think about the consequences of these water bottles and I think that, specifically, is the main cause for the immense amounts of waste. People have grown accustomed to using plastic water bottles for their convenience and I think that it is time to raise awareness on how much harm they are contributing by doing so. By using refillable water bottles, we would save ourselves not only from the consequences of plastic waste but from the wasting large amounts of water, used to drink. Since everything manufactured uses water, in some way, using less plastic water bottles would decrease the amount of water used to manufacture these products and prevent ourselves from wasting water (when we throw away half drunk bottles). We should also start looking for ways to turn away from the plastic water bottles so that we can recurperate from the damage already done.
March 18, 2019 at 10:31 PM
Anonymous said…
It’s so true that using refillable water bottles is much more convenient and sustainable than using plastic water bottles. Not only that but you could truly save much more money using refillable bottles. The statistics you pointed out make using refillable water bottles seem so much more effective. I am guilty of using plastic water bottles over refillable ones and I have a whole new opinion about them. It’s really important to make people aware of the benefits of refillable water bottles over plastic ones. Furthermore, we often leave our plastic water bottles in cars and heated areas and when some of the plastic gets overheated and melts into the water, it can have serious health risks. Using refillable water bottles would also decrease the amount of money we spend on water.
March 19, 2019 at 10:58 AM
Anonymous said…
I’ve always known that plastic water bottles are dangerous. However, its always been easier for me to ignore that problem. As of right now I have a plastic water bottle at my side. This post is very enlightening as I always thought of getting a reusable water bottle as harder and effort that just wasn’t worth putting in. You showed me that reusable water bottles can be good for not just the environment and not just me! I think that’s really important because it helps people who are aware of the problem but still do nothing to be motivated to make the change.
March 19, 2019 at 12:18 PM
Anonymous said…
The use of water bottles seems to have been a long standing enemy of the movement to help the environment. It seems to be spread throughout everywhere, but rarely do i ever see it working well in effect. I even, at times, find myself falling victim to not recycling water bottles properly, despite all the rhetoric spread to me all the time about how harmful water bottles are. I believe the answer provided with the uses of refillable water bottles is a great solution. With the minimization of water bottle usage, I believe we could make the journey to having perfect recycling easier.
March 19, 2019 at 12:19 PM
Anonymous said…
I too have been trying to use less disposable water bottles this year. I think knowing that just because I want the "taste" of bottled water doesn't mean that the environment should have to suffer for it. In the same token, I think the point you made about drinking more water is valid. I really loved how you talked about the FDA versus the EPA and combated a myth about tap water.
March 19, 2019 at 2:59 PM
Anonymous said…
It is appalling how many people prefer to use plastic water bottles instead of simply using a refillable one. There are so many benefits to using reusable bottles over cheap plastic ones, such as durability, sustainability, reduction in waste, energy saving, and even being more aesthetically pleasing. Reusable bottles can appeal to a wide variety of consumers, such as athletes, health-attentive people, as well as the average American. Because they are sold in so many styles, colors, and types, there is simply no excuse to refuse switching to reusable bottles. In my opinion, there is no downside, and I hope many others start to believe that, too!
March 19, 2019 at 7:52 PM
Anonymous said…
Personally, I have been using a refillable water bottle as, opposed to plastic bottles, for awhile, and I have definitely seen this as quite beneficial to me and, potentially, the planet. The number of wasted water bottles is ridiculous. I don’t understand why people don’t just make the switch to refillable waters. There’s all types and colors, there’s always a place to refill them, and, like you pointed out, drinking tab water is potentially safer. These types of things are small issues that are going to surface and become a widespread movement. Already I can say I feel that more people use refillable water bottles then they did ten years ago.
March 19, 2019 at 8:53 PM
Anonymous said…
Eliminating plastic water bottles is one of the easiest ways to decrease plastic waste and help make the environment a little more sustainable. Sometimes using plastic is unavoidable but plastic water bottles have the easiest alternative and they have a greater variety with more colors, styles and types. There doesn't seem to be any disadvantage with using a regular water bottle rather than a plastic one and doing so could have a significant good impact on the environment.
March 20, 2019 at 4:18 AM
Anonymous said…
People really don’t think about plastic water bottles and the consequence they have on the environment. If we eliminated plastic bottles and used reusable bottles it would be cheaper and take away a majority of the cause of plastic waste. I think people need to be educated more about the consequences of these bottles to make them more aware and more motivated to use reusable bottles.
March 20, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Anonymous said…
I always knew plastic water bottles were a major portion of the worlds plastic waste production, but i never knew just how much . There have been multiple efforts to cut down on plastic waste production such as starbucks changing their cups and more companies coming out with reusable straws, and i believe that more efforts like these need to be pushed . I try to only use reusable water bottles such as camelbacks as much as possible and with my parents doing the same ive seen a major cut down on our plastic production just from our one household. I believe that if we actively attempted to cut down on not only plastic water bottles but plastic in general, overall plastic production would become a less pressing issue .
March 22, 2019 at 8:19 AM
Anonymous said…
Plastic waste has been an issue that many fail to realize. Taking advantage of the alternatives presented to us would be an efficient step in decreasing plastic waste. One of the easiest ways to do so would be switching to reusable water bottles. I think it’s surprising that there aren’t more people using them, since they would make a huge benefit to reducing plastic waste. It’s also important for people to educate themselves on the effects of constant water bottle use as it adds up and negatively impacts the earth.
March 22, 2019 at 11:55 AM
Anonymous said…
Not only can we use refillable bottles we can also use emerging tech to our advantage. For example comapanies such as BP and other oil companies are noow researching biodegradable plastic that will disenegrate in the ocean. However this idea is not full proof, the plastic will only melt under certain conditions such as high pressure and tempatures. It is important to continue funding and research efforts like this to make sure we have sustainable products for the future.
March 22, 2019 at 12:10 PM
Anonymous said…
Disposable plastics is one of the main things that plague our environment. This is why reusable water bottle can be so effective. I myself can back this up as I have used reusable water bottles for many years and so has my family in general. It is important to continue funding and reserch efforts to make sure that we get to hav the best impact on society.
March 22, 2019 at 12:32 PM
Anonymous said…
I totally agree that reusable water bottles are a great way to cut down on our plastic consumption. I've been using one for a while now and it's really helped me drink more water. I also watched a documentary about people living close to a factory that produces water bottles. Indivials living there have suffered from numerous diseases, including cancer. However, many can't afford to leave because no one wants to buy a house near th is factory. I think more awareness needs to be spread about the dangers of drinking from plastic bottles for long periods of time.
March 22, 2019 at 1:12 PM
Anonymous said…
People should just use metal water bottles. It’s much more cost efficient too. Instead of spending the money to buy plastic water bottles every week , just buy one single reusable water bottle and use it. The government should increase taxes on water bottles to pressure people into buying reusable ones.
March 23, 2019 at 9:45 AM
Adam Ghanem said…
Even though I use a reusable water every day, my family and I still buy many plastic water bottles and use them on a daily basis. One thing I could do to limit my family's usage of plastic water bottles is to stop buying the bottles and instead use glass cups and water from the refrigerator. Maybe it is time that we begin to encourage reusable bottles more.
-Adam Ghanem
March 24, 2019 at 8:47 PM
Anonymous said…
Metal water bottles are much more preferable than plastic water bottles. It is more environmentally friendly, as it does not accumulate into plastic waste that builds up. It also helps the buyer financially, allowing them not to spend money on water bottles every time they need it. To stop the use of plastic water bottles, we should implement restrictions and bans on them.
March 25, 2019 at 12:11 PM
Anonymous said…
I used to use plastic bottles everyday, but now I’ve only been using reusable because our school has made it so convenient to refill water bottles. The water bottle refillers are great and should be implemented to make using reusable bottles even more convenient than buying plastics bottles. I do believe, however, that restrictions could be used to stop the use of plastic water bottles.
March 26, 2019 at 3:36 PM
Anonymous said…
Plastic water bottles are detrimental to the environment therefore we should prioritize the use of metal and other reusable water bottles. The buyer also saves money from not having to repurchase water bottles every time. People will also have water handy therefore limiting the consuming of plastic water bottles. It will be very hard to curtail plastic water bottle production as it is a lucrative industry but the government definitely needs to step in and try to reduce plastic water bottle waste.
March 28, 2019 at 2:20 PM
Anonymous said…
I think if we moved away from a plastic water bottle society, and to a reusable water bottle consumption pattern, we would help the earth out. It’s the easy access that makes us use plastics more than reusables. People rarely think twice when plastic water bottles. If we become more aware about our consumption patterns, the earth would “breathe a little better”.
April 1, 2019 at 8:27 PM
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