1. Not a good value. Bottled water costs you, the consumer, about 5 cents an ounce (assuming it’s a 20 ounce bottle that costs $1) compared to the less than 1 cent per gallon of municipal water.
2. Not healthier than tap water. Tap water is much more tightly regulated because municipal water falls under the oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency which regularly tests water quality.
3. Bottled water = waste. Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year.
4. Bottled water means less attention to public systems. Some affluent people switch to a reliance on bottled water because of defects in their local tap water. This prevents people from taking action and solving the problem to improve their local source.
5. The corporation of water. According to the documentary film Thirst, water is considered the “Blue Gold” of this century. This movie demonstrates “the rapid worldwide privatization of municipal water supplies, and the effect these purchases are having on local economies. Water is one of human’s most precious resources and multinational corporations are interfering with the control and access of it.
Sources:
http://www.sustainablefootprint.org/en/cms/gebruikerscherm.asp?itemId=393
What about in emergencies? if there is no power and no water we have to rely on bottled water to keep us hydrated dont we?
ReplyDeleteThe value part of bottled water is really surprising! I knew that bottled water was obviously more expensive than municipal water, but I had no idea the ratio was so unbalanced! I also found it interesting that bottled water is much more regulated.
ReplyDeleteThere is 128 ounces in a gallon. Multiple 128 by $0.05 (the price of water per ounce), and it makes water $6.40 a gallon. That is more than the price of gas! (currently, maybe not for long) So why does society have no problem paying $6.40 for a gallon of something they can get for a penny, but everyone is up in arms about 'high' gas prices?
ReplyDeleteAshlee, in case of emergences, people should depend on stored filtered water (in large containers) rather than individual 20 oz bottles. Bottled water is only a temporary solution, but ultimately we need to rely on tap water.
ReplyDeleteMeryl, Bottled water is actually less regulated that tap. See above. Maya, good answer to Ashlee's question.
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