The fad in drinking water from bottles is killing off the planet as detailed by scientists.
The bottled water craze may be very fashionable, but it is no healthier than ordinary tap water and according to analysts is 10,000 times more expensive to produce.
This situation is having an alarming affect on the environment as to the resources required to extract the water from the ground, package it and distribute around the globe. In the UK alone this business is worth £2billon.
It is estimated that some 22million tons of bottled water a year is distributed each year around countries. Transporting this water involves burning massive quantities of fossil fuels, transporting this bottled water long distances, with approximately a quarter crossing national borders to reach consumers via lorries, trains and boats.
Once the water has been consumed, the problem of disposing of the plastic bottles is a major issue as they take 1,000 years to biodegrade. These bottles are commonly produced form polyethylene terephthalate, which is derived from crude oil. In America, to meet their demand it requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil a year, enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year. Throughout the world 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to create plastic water bottles. 154billion llitres of bottled water were consumed in 2004 an increase of 57% on five years earlier.
In industry and commerce, there has been a major swing away from bottled water dispensers to the plumbed in Water Coolers options. The option to use the water we are already paying for is one of many reasons for the switch over, besides health and safety issues, storing of the empty and full bottles, the lifting of 18ltrs of water onto the dispense stand and monthly accounts checking on full and empty bottles. Plumbed in water coolers do not experience these problems and offer pure filtered water at all times, without running out. No more waiting for the delivery lorry with all its gas emissions to replace the empty bottles. In recent times the alarm bells have been ringing as to the toxins found in the plastic bottles plus the scare of bacteria build up insides the full bottles that are left standing around offices and on their stands, in full sunlight.
There is a myth that bottled water is better for you than tap water and tap water in most cases is pure and sterile in the UK. Unlike bottled water, it is monitored daily and comes out fresh from the tap. Bottled water could be months old and is not treated to kill bacteria. The danger is that drinking from a bottle and then leaving it open or in the sun could encourage bacterial growth.