General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Truth About Bottled Water That You're Not Supposed To Know [View all]Bigredhunk
(1,376 posts)People buy bottled water for several reasons:
-It's the "healthy" option
-It's very cheap (too cheap - like gasoline, if the cost of bottled water stays cheap, people will continue to guzzle it)
-It's a fashion accessory (especially the frou-frou brands like Evian, Fiji, Voss, etc...). It's like a Starbucks cup of coffee. Walking around with your name brand bottle/cup gives you status (or so those who feel this way think).
It's so depressing. What bothers me even more than the cost/waste to bottle and transport something that comes out of your tap for free...is the fact that I see plastic bottles in garbages outside of businesses ALL THE TIME. On the rare occasion that I drink bottled water when I'm out & about, I throw the empty bottle in my back seat or trunk...take it home...& recycle it (ditto for Starbucks Frappuccino cups...which I take home, wash out, recycle). I don't understand why it's so hard for people to hold on to the bottle a bit longer and either recycle it at a store (Target has bins) or take it home and recycle it. We're so hard-wired for laziness/convenience that we always take the easy way out (just pitch it).
In defense of people (although many probably still wouldn't care and would just use the trash), why don't more businesses and cities have recycling bins all over? Target has them inside by the checkout lanes (a bunch of bins for different things). But why don't businesses either provide it themselves or be required to provide it. I think (at least some) people would use them for water bottles. It's a shame you don't see more recycling containers (at least here in the IA/WI/IL area).
If your water sucks (even if it doesn't) get a PUR filter and attach it to your faucet (or at the very least use a filtration pitcher). If you have the money, you can even get an in-home reverse osmosis system (the same thing Dasani & Aquafina uses to filter their tap water).