By Lana Hy
Staff Writer
According to GoGreen.org, 1,500 plastic water bottles are used every second in the United States alone. Despite the fact that plastic water bottles are portable and ideal in the event of a disaster, they should be banned to limit the harmful effects they have on the outdoor environment and the health of humans as well as marine animals.
Contrary to popular belief, plastic bottles are not sustainable. Bottles are manufactured, filled, and shipped around the globe, meaning that they require vast quantities of fossil fuels to mass produce and drastically increase our carbon footprint.
Even though bottles are frequently being recycled, MindBodyGreen.org states “6 out of 7 plastic bottles consumed in the U.S. are downcycled. [They] are sent somewhere out of sight and out of mind where, for the next millennia […] toxins from degrading plastic containers can leach into watersheds and soils.” Plastic water bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate, which causes them to break smaller fragments over time and deal irreparable damage to the earth.
If not recycled, bottles usually end up in landfills or in the ocean where it can be ingested by sea birds, fish, and other organisms. Research conducted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation revealed that the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish. It is clear that plastic water bottles must be banned to prevent the collapse of valuable marine species.
Additionally, the costs to purify, bottle, advertise, transport, and store the water make plastic water bottles significantly more expensive than tap water. A study conducted by the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) showed “the average cost per gallon of bottled water – not counting imported or sparkling waters – was $1.21 in 2013 whereas the cost of tap water was $2 for every thousand gallons.” This means that bottled water is 600 times more expensive than tap water when being priced by gallons.
In addition, most bottled water products contain chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic container. These compounds usually seep into the water, causing people to consume them. The consumption of BPA can lead to Type 2 diabetes as well as cardiovascular problems such as coronary artery disease and angina. The risk of these health diseases increase when bottles are placed in direct sunlight.
If plastic water bottles were prohibited, people could consume the tap water in their homes or buy reusable water bottles, which are proven to be a healthier and more affordable approaches. In addition, since boxed water containers are made from renewable sources, people can store that for emergencies rather than plastic bottles, minimizing human impact on the environment.
By banning plastic bottles, we can pave a way to a more sustainable environment and lifestyle.
