Is bottled H2O a waste of money and resources considering most communities in the U.S. have safe tap water? |
Bottled water is a waste of money because it is mostly bottled tap water.
You can make your water better than bottled for a lot less. The cheapest option is filtered water in a container product. It has a lid that filters the water. It is slow, but costs less in the long run. Another is the filter attachment for your sink. A little more expensive, but ready in an instant/no waiting. The last is purchasing a refrigerator with a water/ice dispenser on it. Look for one that has an attached filter. They are very much worth it.
Posted by: WilldL0v3lyYes it is; most states do have safe drinking water available from the tap of your own home.
Most people have safe drinking water available from the tap. Only a very few states even have return deposits on the bottles. It is wasteful to buy drinking water, and most of those bottles end up in a land fill or simply discarded along the road somewhere. The money could be put to better use in the family budget by paying off other debt.
Posted by: LimpingChauncey64Most are tap water.
Bottle water is a waste of people's money for the most part. With the exception of someone needing water who has no access to tap in their homes. In addition, bottle water is a prime source of plastic consumption that litters landfills and the oceans causing future problems.
Posted by: AnonymousMost bottled water is tap water, from a different city, and the bottles require tons of resources.
The petroleum and chemicals that a bottle is made of, plus the energy of production, is a burden on the planet. Some burdens are worth the cost: we all like to have lights in our house and refrigerators and stoves. The burden of bottled water is not worth it, because the water is not better than what is available in most places. Even in a house with well water there are better ways, like a large bottle to fill cups instead of individual bottles. Also, most bottles end up in landfills, where they will remain for a VERY long time because of the way they are made. Plenty of others end up as litter. There are some cases where individual bottles are necessary, and other cases where they are really convenient, but most current use could be avoided with very little effort, and that would be better for the world.
Posted by: Qu3yNeaWhy do people continue to still buy bottled water?
I mean think about it, it just doesn't make sense to keep spending $1.29 (or whatever price it may be for whatever size bottle you get) every day, when you can spend about $40.00 to get a Brita water filtration system and three extra filters for about $20.00 or so and be able to enjoy clean filtered water for a year. I mean you spend more money buying bottled water every day at a local convenience store or gas station in about two months time than compared to using a water filtration system in your home getting water straight from your kitchen sink.
Posted by: AnonymousDepending on the source, bottled water is not only a waste, compared to tap water, it may also actually be tap water.
In some cases, bottled water can be worth the expense. For most people, though, it is of no real benefit over tap water, though. Most people won't notice a taste difference, and there has been little evidence that tap water is truly bad for you. It is very important for a person buying bottled water to check where and how their water was bottled. In some cases, bottled water is simply filtered tap water. In these cases, bottled water isn't only an unnecessary expense, it is a complete waste, since it is effectively the same thing.
Posted by: KnownEvanYou don't need to buy bottled water in order to have clean, purified water.
Even if you feel that the water from a faucet isn't quite clean enough, you can buy filtration systems that hook right up to sinks to purify the water, pitchers that you can keep in your refrigerator and other helpful tools that make bottled water unnecessary. The waste of the plastic is bad for the environment if it's not recycled and buying bottled water is just a waste of money and resources.
Posted by: jaamatabottled water is a waste of money
bottled water is a waste of money because the water is actually coming from tap water. also, bottled water is a waste of money because why should we buy bottled water when it comes from tap water? tap water is free so therefore bottled water is a waste of money.
Posted by: angel234I agree bottled water is wasteful and even harmful to the environment because, for the most part, the water is actually tap water anyway.
Research has shown that most bottled water is actually tap water. Consumers aren't even getting what they think they are paying for. The plastic isn't biodegradable, and there isn't much incentive for people to recycle. The bottom line is that bottled water may be convenient, but it certainly isn't cost-effective or good for the environment.
Posted by: N3vinFaceThere is no reason to bottle water when the tap water is safe and a filter allows for good taste.
It is a complete waste of time, money and resources to bottle water. It would make sense if community tap water were unsafe, but this isn't the case. Some might also argue it tastes better, but there are very inexpensive filters that provide excellent tasting water. Bottled water is just another way we waste in our society.
Posted by: M0r3InteriorWhy pay much more for a bottle of water, when we can get basically the same thing from the tap?
Bottle water is overpriced and much worse for the environment. Why not buy a good reusable bottle or thermos, and use the tap water which is safe in most places around here. Just buy a water filter for the faucet, or a filtered pitcher. The bulk of the bottled water is just tap water that might be filtered. Plus, it's suspected that if the bottles get hot and in sunlight, chemicals from the bottle will leak into the water. Nobody knows for sure what the long-term effects from exposure to the chemicals that make plastic might possibly be.
Posted by: Witt256I oppose bottled water; it is excessive and unnecessary.
Bottled water is a complex issue. At the very least however, it can be said that the ecological impact of the increased number of plastic bottles "in circulation" has been negative, contributing strongly to a "waste and want" condition for one of our most essential resources. Given the volume of water necessary for the daily consumption of a population, bottled H20 may not be the best solution.
Posted by: LudicrousJosh83
I don't think selling bottled water is a waste of money because there are many cities world wide that have lousy tap water and enjoy the convenience of bottled spring water.
The city I live in has tap water that is at times yellow in color! I never drink what comes out of the faucet and I reluctantly wash dishes and use it to shower. Commercials tell the viewer to let the water run until it comes out clear and boil the water before using it to for meals.
I think the city should not be able to bill citizens for this dirty water and should do something to correct the problem! Without bottled spring water, I'd have to buy a water filter system and still have to pay for the tap. It's a lose, lose situation.Posted by: R0d30KarlI disagree with the idea that bottled H2O is a wasted resource. Tap water can contain pesticides, sulfur, lime, and other minerals from the soil that are not removed in tap water.
I believe that bottled H20 is not a waste of money and resources. People in the U.S. may not like tap water, so the fact that it is considered "safe" may not be good enough.
Posted by: R0II0GIaceNo, bottled water is superior in taste.
While city water is inherently safe to drink; this is due to the large amount of treatment chemicals in the water. In addition to this, it has been found that trace amounts of medication (presumably that is expelled via a person's body) remains behind even after treatment. Bottled water has a distinctly better taste due to the absence of fluoride and chlorine, and along with this does not pose a risk for long term ingestion of prescription drugs.
Posted by: SpoiledKrisIn some cases, bottled water is consumed in places where tap water is not readily available.
While some people eschew drinking safe tap water in favor of only drinking bottled water, in other instances bottled water is consumed where the only other available beverage is also bottled. Bottled water bought from a street hot dog stand or in a disco club is a healthy alternative to the other bottled drink choices. Bottled water is also appreciated at catered functions and backyard barbecues. Therefore, its availability is necessary and healthy.
Posted by: RaymoCanyonsI do not think that bottled water is a waste of resources or money, because some communities do not have safe running water.
I do not think that bottled water is a waste of resources or money, because some communities do not have safe running water, which makes bottled water a necessity. Also, when natural disasters happen, like tornadoes, bottled water is sometimes the only thing that these people have to survive through it.
Posted by: SeriousNestor34The tap water in many US communities is not as good as you might believe and consequently there is still a need for bottled water.
In my community, reclaimed water, the water that used to be seen as being fit only for watering lawns, is now being merged with the drinking water. In addition, there is now fluoride being added to the water and fluoride is considered toxic enough for those who handle it to have to use protective gear as it has been proved to cause cancer, etc. and, oddly enough, to weaken teeth when it is ingested in large quantities. We have a water system that has problems and at times the water is contaminated by sewage as the sewage system is not well maintained. For these reasons and many others, bottled water is not a waste of money but is really a necessary.
Posted by: SportyHartBottled water is a commodity that people want to buy, making it not a waste.
Anyone who has taken an economics course knows that businesses try to fulfill the wants and needs of consumers. While bottled water may be wasteful of plastic and extremely expensive, it still has a market and people continue to buy it. I wish that there were a way to not waste as much material, but it is clear that money and resources are not wasted, if people are still willing to buy the bottled water.
Posted by: LongBo86