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More and more Australians today are drinking single-use bottled water. Those who are always on the go appreciate the convenience and accessibility of bottled water. They are spared from having to carry heavy water bottles around and the responsibility of having to refill these with water.
But did you know that the convenience and accessibility of single-use bottled water come at a cost?
Bottled water produces more waste
Single-use water bottles contribute to landfill. In fact, according to a 2010 report by Clean Up Australia, one in ten items found on Clean Up Australia Day were related to plastic bottled water. And these water bottles stay, well, almost forever: because it takes 1,000 years for plastic bottles to break down, they linger on in landfills and in water, oftentimes killing marine life.
Itโs not only the usage of bottled water that hurts the environment. Its production, from start to finish, has tremendous impact on the environment. According to nonprofit eco organization Do Something, the process of producing and delivering a litre of bottled water emits a hundred times more greenhouse gases than the production and delivery of tap water.
Bottled water costs money
Aside from its environment impact, bottled water is also expensive from a consumerโs point of view. One-litre bottled water costs more than $3. Multiply that by the number of times you drink bottled water every day, and the number of days per month, and by the end of the year, you would have spent a considerable portion of your hard-earned money for clean, safe water that you can get more economically if you had filtered water systems installed instead.
What we can do
While itโs easier said than done, cutting down on single-use bottled water is the way to go. Not only will this choice be good for the environment, itโs also good for our pockets. Here are a few things we can do:
- Filtered water systems at home – Talk to a local water supplier and find out what choices are available in terms of filtered water systems. Having filtered water at home when we need it will make it easier for us to avoid the purchase of bottled water.
- Water coolers at work – Another way to lessen the use of bottled water is to encourage office administration to have spring water coolers in place, if it hasn’t yet. By having clean and safe filtered water at work, we only need to take a moment to refill our sports bottle before heading off to the gym or for a client call. This way, we stay hydrated on the road and refrain from purchasing some bottled water at a convenience store.
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