Bottled Water is Just Plain Bad

I’m just going to say it, bottled water is bad. I think buying water is one of the most wasteful things you can do.

And no matter what they say, it is not better or safer for you. The EPA tests our water every day and posts the results. The FDA tests bottled water weekly and they don’t post the results. Tap water is strictly regulated and controlled which is not the case with bottled water. Most bottled water is just tap water in a bottle, but less tested.

If you’re worried about the water that comes out of your tap buy a filter. I have the one that attaches to the faucet, it cost about $30 and replacement filters cost about $16 (but if you buy the 3 pack you save, so I do) and it lasts about 3 months. Bottled water costs about 500-4,000 times more than tap water.

The filter I have filters out lead, copper, chlorine, mercury, giardia (if you clicked on it, you just gagged a little), lead and pesticides. You can also buy ones that go into the fridge but I’ve found that the faucet mount ones filter more stuff out. When you’re going out just fill up a reusable bottle, reusablebags.com has a great selection. Around here we use the Klean Kanteen brand. Tyler takes his to school and Dylan reminds me to grab his whenever we got out.

The other problem with bottled water is the bottle itself. Although they can be recycled, 8 out of 10 bottles end up in landfills, that’s roughly 38 billion bottles every year and the bottles will take 1,000 years to decompose. That's just plain awful.

Now if all that isn’t bad enough, plastic bottles contain Bisephenol A (BPA). BPA mimics estrogen and can leach into the water in the bottle if the bottle’s been heated up, like when it’s left in the car. You never leave water bottles in the car you say? Well what about when the water was transported from the factory to the store? I very much doubt that it was transported on a refrigerated truck.

There’s also the environmental toll of transporting bottled water all over the country. Tap water is just sent from the source through pipes right into your home, very energy-efficient, unlike bottled water that's flown or trucked in on huge diesel trucks.

So really, just buy a filter and buy a reusable bottle. Reusable bottles also make great gifts and with Mother’s Day just around the corner it’s a great way to say “I love you”.

My mom would be getting one but she already has one of course.

P.S. This one's for my dad.