Disposable Water Bottles –Throw away convenience with

long term consequences

We have been duped!

Bottled water is a huge marketing success story – one that we have bought in to and are now paying the price.

Bottled water is a serious problem, but one that we can solve!

Manufactured Demand

http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/Take_Back_the_Tap_Factsheet_2013.pdf#_ga=1.99433629.2074844649.1413489248

Water bottle companies have used aggressive advertising to convince consumers that bottled water is safer and purer than tap water.

In reality, the US Federal Government has much more rigorous testing and compliance standards for tap water than it does for bottled water.

http://www.infographic-designer.nl/the-facts-about-bottled-water/

40% of bottled water is taken from municipal water supplies – in other words, tap water.

Americans buy half a billion bottles of water every week – enough to circle the globe 5 times

They pump water from aquifers and steams and often bottle regular tap water.

In both cases, they are taking a free resource and turning it into a product that not everyone can afford.

The pumping operations, bottling operations, and transportation of bottled water all contribute to both ground water and air pollution.

http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/Take_Back_the_Tap_Factsheet_2013.pdf#_ga=1.99433629.2074844649.1413489248

Water bottles companies take a resource that should be free and readily available to everyone and exploit it for a profit.

Bottled water is not natural!

Disposable water bottles contribute to the over

32 million tons of plastic waste generated each year.

www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/plastics.htm

900,000 tons of PET plastic, produced from fossil fuels like natural gas and petroleum and

17 million barrels of oil – enough to fuel 1 million cars for a year.

It generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.

And that’s not even including shipping those water bottles to the store.

And our thirst for bottled water has only grown.

http://pacinst.org/publication/bottled-water-and-energy-a-fact-sheet/

In 2006, American bought 31.2 billion liters of water. Producing that many bottles of water required:

www.cellonline.org

http://www.infographic-designer.nl/the-facts-about-bottled-water/

Only 1 in 5 water bottles is recycled.

Many of the water bottles end up on landfills, often in Third World countries, or incinerators

PET plastics can take thousands of years to decompose.

Of the 20% sent to be recycled, many are down cycled - turned into products of lesser quality with some parts thrown away.

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/5-reasons-not-to-drink-bottled-water#ixzz3GLZEaLJv

80% of water bottles are never recycled

bottledwaterx2.blogspot.com

Bottled water is big business –$61 billion dollars annually

http://www.mahalo.com/

Safe, clean drinking water is a precious resource, increasingly threatened by urbanization, climate change, and pollution.

Multinational corporations are purchasing ground water rights in many parts of the world and the multi-billion dollar bottled water industry is helping drive this commodification of a natural resource.

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/5-reasons-not-to-drink-bottled-water#ixzz3GLZNi8Dq

Blue Gold

Disposable water bottle use perpetuates the idea that clean water is only for those who can afford it.

It diminishes the perceived need for federal support for clean water. The U.S. federal government’s investment in water infrastructure system has decreased significantly in the last 30 years.

It distracts the public and diverts funding from the real water issue: providing water infrastructures worldwide that will provide safe, free drinking water.

Clean drinking water is a basic human right.

We need to act with our wallets and let them know that we believe access to clean drinking water is a basic human right.

Over a Billion people don’t have access to drinking water world wide.

Investments should not be made in bottled water, but in public water infrastructure worldwide.

worldwatercouncil.org/index.php?id=25

The water bottling companies have stiff competition – US!

Contact your local water company to ensure your tap water is safe – El Paso Water Utilities provides lots of info: www.epwu.org

Let politicians know you want investment in clean water and tighter regulations for water bottling companies.

Demand that tap water is used at events with which you are involved. Use reusable water bottles as give aways instead of disposable water

bottles. Rent glassware or provide compostable cups for water if necessary. Make water stations with pitchers of water, water jugs or other water

dispensers available.

What can you do?

Carry a reusable water bottle with you every where every day!