Tri-State Green Report - Bottled Water

We get it for free when we turn on the tap. But these days a lot of us just feel better about getting our water out of a bottle. In 2005 the United States consumed about 7 and a half billion gallons of bottled water. Next to soda, its biggest selling beverage by the bottle. It could be a good thing after all water is healthier than soda. But it turns out all those plastic water bottles arent healthy for the environment. Its trendy, tasty, and for people on the go, its just easy. Americans buy 28 billion water bottles a year.The bad news is 80 percent end up in landfills.Tim hunter works at a recycling center and says he thinks people dont return the bottles because it just doesnt pay. "Most folks tend to look at just the dollar figure. What can I get for the plastics. If the markets not there, theyre not getting a whole lot theres not a lot of incentive for them to recycle other than its the right thing to do." While it may be the right thing to do, some people think storing the empty bottles requires too much space. Others dont have recycling available. "Well, we live out in the country, so there isnt any recycling there, so its just kind of tough." So instead of throwing his bottles out, Larry Hein never buys them in the first place. "Well, a lot of mountain bike riders they prefer a camel back. Which… its a hydration system that you wear on your back. It has a backpack and a water bladder with a hose." Hunter also avoids paying for plastic. "Bottled water cost more than gasoline if you figure out the price per gallon. We have a filter at our house, Ill drink that tap water as long as water is safe. Bottled water doesnt do anything for me so I just dont drink it." The Pacific Institute says manufacturing, storing, and transporting the bottles uses about 17 million barrels of oil a year. Considering all the negative environmental factors that come with a single bottle of water, why buy it by the bottle when you can get it from the tap? "I think a lot of people think that bottled water is probably a safer product. But its not gonna be any safer than the tap water. But thats my personal opinion." It may be Hunters opinion, but he may be exactly right.The United States Environmental Protection Agency strictly regulates tap water. In fact, the FDA says safety guidelines for bottled water are significantly less strict than for tap water.The Texas Environmental Protection Agency says theres no clear cut evidence proving one is healthier than the other. In the end its up to the consumer to decide if the bottle is really worth it.