We don’t really think about it. We purchase a bottled water from the convenience store in the morning, then another one at lunch, and just one more on the way home from the gym. That’s three bottles of water a day at least. Bottled water is marketed as a “healthy, safe alternative” from the dirt and grime from your tap water. They are wrapped in pictures of pristine pools, sparkling lakes, and deer drinking from sunlight drenched, crystal clear water. But there’s more to the water business than you realize.
Estimates place worldwide bottle sales anywhere between $50 and $100 billion a year with the market expanding at the annual rate of 7%. It seems like big business right? Wrong. Bottled water is costly, wasteful, and distracts the public from the construction and maintenance of safe municipal water systems.
Want some more reasons to ditch the plastic for other means of clean, safe water? Here’s just a few:
Bottled water is a poor value.
Purchasing a bottled water from a vending machine at $1? Do you do this at least three to four times a week? Add that up. It’s roughly $5 a week or $20 a month or $144 a year. Instead, purchase a water filter and fill up a jug of water before you leave for the day. A filter costs $20 and lasts about 3-4 months.
It’s not healthier than tap water.
Here’s a legal loophole that you may not be aware of: bottled water in the United States falls under the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration. In practice, about 70 percent of bottled water never crosses state lines for sale, making it exempt from FDA oversight. Don’t believe the hype and panic that we “need” bottled water.
Bottled water = waste.
Bottled water produces more than 1.5 million tons of plastic waste a year. According to Food and Water Watch, that plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. As Americans, we have to do our part to reduce waste and it’s easier than you think.
To save money, help the environment, and reduce your carbon footprint, contact Fenwick Home Services today. We’ll provide an on-site evaluation of your water consumption needs and recommend the right steps to help you save the money in your wallet and give Mother Nature a hand.