Christina Liu | Science Team Water Nerd   

Did you know THIS about bottled water?

• Plastics are made from petroleum, which is a fossil fuel and a non-renewable resource. 
• The ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish by the year 2050.
• It can take over 400 years for a single plastic bottle to decompose in the environment. 
• More than 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills and incinerators every day – a total of about 22 billion last year.
• 91% of plastic isn’t recycled meaning a majority of single-use plastic ends up in landfills or the environment.
• Around the world, one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute.
• Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year.
• America’s demand for plastic water bottles uses over 17 million barrels of oil annually.

Here's how to help:

USE A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE AND FILL IT UP WITH FILTERED TAP WATER

Here’s why:

• By using and refilling a reusable water bottle, each American can save at least 156 water bottles from entering the landfill each year. 
• The total energy needed to produce tap water is 2000 times LESS than what is used in bottled water production.
• Tap water costs less than 3 cents per gallon, while bottled water costs an average of $1.41 per gallon in 2015.
• A Hydroviv Drinking Water Filter cartridge is rated for 720 gallons. That’s enough water to fill over 6500 Half-liter water bottles!

What about the quality of tap water? Is it even better?

• Bottled water companies often use the same source as tap water. According to the FDA, bottled water companies are permitted to package and sell water from municipal taps, artesian wells, mineral water, natural springs, and drilled wells. Yes, you read that correctly – some bottled water is simply bottled tap water. 
• The regulations for bottled water and tap water are almost identical. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates tap water and the Food and Drug Administration regulates bottled water, and the allowable concentrations of contaminants are identical for both, with the exception of lead. (The standard for lead in bottled water is 5 parts per billion, as opposed to 15 parts per billion in tap water. This is because during bottling production, water should never come in contact with older lead service pipes the same way municipal water does). However, the  EPA, CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics and other health organizations have all acknowledged that there is no safe level of lead for children.