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Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water

Posted on November 25, 2008 7:57 AM

Bottled water is healthy water, right? No in fact, most bottled water actually comes from a tap. And there's nothing healthy about plastic waste.

Bottled water isn't a good value
On average branded bottled water works out to 2.5p an ounce. Most municipal water costs less than 1p per gallon.

No healthier than tap water
Due to laws known as the Water Quality Regulations, drinking water in the United Kingdom must meet certain minimum standards of health and safety. Sometimes in order meet these standards water purification processes are used, which could result in a slight after taste in your tap water. It may be your personal preference that you would rather not drink processed water, but be assured that there is nothing wrong with drinking such water in regards to your health. In fact, tap water may be fluoridated in your area, making it an important source of fluoride for healthy teeth and the prevention of tooth decay.

Bottled water means waste
Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. That plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. And while the plastic used to bottle beverages is of high quality and in demand by recyclers, over 80 percent of plastic bottles are simply thrown away.

What can you do?
There's a simple alternative to bottled water: buy a stainless steel thermos, and use it. Don't like the way your local tap water tastes? Inexpensive carbon filters will turn most tap water sparkling fresh at a fraction of bottled water's cost.