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The Impact of Plastic Water Bottles

Bottled water is one of the fastest growing segments of the bottled beverage industry, increasing nearly 8 percent in 2007. Although convenient, plastic water bottles use up resources, fill space in landfills and cost several times more than tap water.

Significance
- In 1976, the average American consumed about 1.6 gallons of bottled water. By 2006, the average American was drinking more than 28 gallons. While that may mean more people are drinking water instead of soda or juices high in sugar, it also means more plastic waste. In 2003, only 12 percent of plastic water bottles were recycled, about 40 million water bottles went in the trash every day.
Environmental Impact
- Manufacturing plastic water bottles uses about 1.5 million barrels of oil a year, enough to power 100,000 cars or 250,000 homes. Shipping bottled water also produces green house gases. For example, according to Cornell Professor Doug James, shipping bottled water from Fiji to the U.S creates about half a pound of green house emissions.
Hidden Costs
- Bottled water is also expensive. At about $0.00002 an ounce, tap water is nearly free. Single-serve water bottles can be anywhere between 1,000 and 4,000 times more expensive, prompting cities as diverse as Albuquerque, San Francisco, Seattle and Minneapolis to ban city governments from purchasing single-serve water bottles as an unnecessary expense.

Nature