I want to say one word to you, Ben. Just one word. Plastics.

I recently reviewed some old posts here and discovered the recurring theme that I don't like water in plastic bottles. Or, at the very least, I like writing about how I don't like water delivered in and consumed from plastic bottles. And it made me wonder where this plastic-bottled-water avarice of mine (sweet! I've been trying to use "avarice" all week) came from. Here's the list.

1. I hate paying more for something I can get for less. Call me what you want: cheap, thrifty, money-conscious, frugal. But when I buy water in a plastic bottle, I'm reminded that it costs more than gasoline (even though gas seems to be catching up lately). This is even more pronounced at a movie theater where a 12 oz. plastic bottle of water can cost $3.00. That's why you'll always see me carrying my own reusable bottle full of water that I filtered off my kitchen tap--and why I have more than just one (see photo of my small collection).
2. Plastic waste. Ugh. What bothers me more about being at some event and seeing a grand offering of water in plastic bottles is being at some event and seeing dozens of empty plastic bottles in the trash. Actually, even seeing just one plastic water bottle in the trash bothers me, too. According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition's website, the number of plastic bottles discarded every week in the U.S. would make a line of plastic bottles long enough to go around the earth FIVE TIMES. And that's just for water! It doesn't include the plastic soda bottles! But what about recycling those bottles? you may ask. Sadly, those plastic bottles you so diligently put in your recycling can (if you're reading this, I know you make the effort) usually don't return as another plastic bottle since the quality of the plastic suffers from serious degradation upon recycling and no one should drink out of a vessel that uses the words "serious degradation" to describe it. Instead, those bottles turn into things like door mats and lumber substitutes that eventually end up in the landfill. Classic case of downcycling.
3.  BPA leaching. Bisphenol A ("BPA") is an organic compound used to make plastics. It's also an endocrine disruptor. Does that sound like something you want to ingest? Trust me: it's not. Its use brought up questions of safety and, back in 2008, there was a lot of uproar about BPA leaching from plastic bottles (even Nalgene bottles), particularly when heated, and a wholesale list of deleterious health effects came out ranging from obesity to cancer. What cut it to the quick was the claim that BPA was leaching from baby bottles--and BPA is really bad for babies. Today, I'm not even sure where things stand with BPA and plastic bottles. We still have plastic bottles, but do we really know whether we still have BPA? 

This is where BluePlanet Dad steps in: to protect his children and his family. We're not completely plastic-free, but we definitely don't heat things in plastic. My kids have their own reusable water bottles--and they use and re-use them. We never buy water in a plastic bottle unless we absolutely have to (see my China post). In fact, in light of the recent push for earthquake preparedness, I'm trying to find a sturdy drinking water storage container. Because, guiltily, I only have flats of plastic bottled water stored for an emergency. I don't claim to be perfect, but I certainly try my best where I can.

World Water Day is coming up on March 22. On that day, please don't buy bottled water. And watch Annie Leonard's (of "The Story of Stuff") "The Story of Bottled Water". Then celebrate accordingly. Cheers!

Comments

[Clarke]

Good advice BlueDad amigo. There are so many choices for water storage now, the plastic disposable is definitely an "in case of emergency thirst only" option.

Have you seen this depiction of water bottle usage?
http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn/#plastic-bottles
Be sure to hit the image to zoom in. Scary!