Bottled Water: Bad for the Environment

Bottled water may be convenient, but when the bottles are empty, about 75% of them never see the inside of a recycling center: they are either sent to landfills or are left behind as unclaimed trash. Even recycling has an environmental cost, as empty bottles must be shipped, shredded and re-formed into other products, all of which takes energy.

The bottled water served on restaurant tables is often shipped from overseas, and the bottles are discarded after one use. The waste and expense are enormous. For every 8 plastic bottles used, only 1 is recycled.

Come'on people, how hard is it to wash/rinse out and reuse a plastic bottle?   There is a lot of "talk" about bacteria, etc. contaminating the bottle, threatening to make you sick.  Yes, its probably possible.  But, I've been carrying around a plastic bottle in my tennis bag for over a week, rinsing it out and refilling it with water from my kitchen sink. When the cap no longer fits tightly and water leaks out, I will pitch it into our recycling bin and start using another.  I have done this for years....heaven only knows how much money I've saved and how many plastic bottles I HAVE NOT USED in that time   I have a big thermos bottle too, but the little 16 to 20 ouncers are easier to fit into my bag.