Tap Vs. Bottled Water

The Bottled Water Craze

There's been a huge surge in the bottled water industry. To the point where it seems the average person is drinking more water from bottles than from their home tap. The problem with this isn't just the proliferation of plastic waste into the environment, but the fact that in many cases bottled water may in fact be less healthy than tap water.

Tap Water is Safer and Better for the Environment

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) tests tap water more regularly than bottled water. In addition, their drinking water standards are much stricter than the FDA's (Food and Drug Administration -the governing body that regulates and approves bottled water quality). As a result, tap water is less susceptible to contaminants than is bottled water.

Unlike the FDA, water suppliers, under the Safe Water Drinking Act, are required to test tap water daily and provide an annual report on the quality of the water. You can see the results of these reports for your state by visiting the EPA website's local drinking water information page.

Get a Refillable, Stainless Steel Bottle

It's true that it's convenient being able to carry various sizes of bottled water, ready to drink when you feel thirsty. But the same can be said of tap water. Simply find yourself a portable, dishwasher safe, stainless steel bottle that won't fill your water with the chemicals you would if you continually reuse a plastic bottle. Then, simply refill it from your tap before you go out.

Tap Water is Better for the Environment

Not only will this save you a trip to the grocery store, it will reduce the amount of plastic added to the environment, and will cut down on the environmental waste produced by bottled water (especially during the bottling and transportation process). Did you know that 1.5 million barrels of crude oil are used annually to produce bottled water? That's enough fuel to power 100,000 cars for an entire year.

Bottled Water is 500 - 1000 Times More Expensive than Tap Water

Tap water will actually provide your body with safer, healthier water, and keep your teeth cleaner at the same time (since tap water contains fluoride, whereas bottled water does not). Another benefit, potentially the most important to many, especially given the recent recession, is the amount of money you will save by not having to consistently purchase bottled water. Bottled water is approximately 500 times more expensive than tap water. And if you buy the fancy stuff, up to 1000 times more.

The Plastic Problem

That's all fine and well. But people realize just how detrimental plastic is to the environment? 60 million bottles a day are being tossed into US landfills, where they can take up to 1000 years to biodegrade.