Most people around the world are water bottle drinkers, but the larger majority is guilty of wasting the plastic container which holds the purified water that we all pay extra for when it would be cheaper and more environmentally friendly to drink the water from our own faucet. What do you do with your empty plastic water bottle? What most people do not know that their plastic water bottle tells a story. On one single bottle of water you are able to find out what type of plastic your purified convenient bottle of water is housed in and the level of recyclability it is. Just because plastic is recyclable, this does not mean it always happens. Bottled water has been around a long time. The bottled water industry took off in the beginning of …show more content…
While my family and I lived there for three years, we had a small brown can and a small blue can for our refuse and recycling. If we over fill it, we were charged extra. Needless to say eventually we learned how to lower our refuse output simply because we did not want to be charged for it. If Americans were introduced to this system, I’m sure we would all cry about it, but it works! Manufacturers are charging us anywhere from 250-10,000 times the price of water from your municipal water source. If the water we use in our homes cost as much as even the cheapest bottle of water, we would be looking at a monthly water bill around $9,000 dollars. Meanwhile, public water systems in many cities are poorly built and maintained due to a lack of funding. Randy James, from Sumrall Recycling says, “Plastic is the environment’s worse enemy. It is an enemy to our oceans, lakes, rivers. Beginning with getting rid of plastic bags is a great start, too.” Some states have already banned plastic bags because of how damaging it is to earth, because they are made from non-recyclable molecules of plastic. Although water bottles are not made as toxically as plastic bags, governments spend millions of dollars collecting and disposing our empty bottles
In the first article "The Curse of Water Bottles" the author is obviously trying to convince people to stop wasting bottles and recycle. For example "There are solutions like using your own personal water bottle and refilling it" and that would save from buying water bottles, and reduce some of the waste. It also states "Some cities are fining homeowners and businesses for not recycling" so that means even cities are trying to get people to stop wasting water bottles. Companies and/or states have tried putting rewards on the bottles if you return them, as stated "Some states have tried to put a nickel return fee on water bottles like those on soda and other beverages" but it still doesn't work out for everyone, because "grocery
Plastic water bottles are very convenient, but are also a big scam. It is very important for people to stay hydrated. Water bottles allow people to stay hydrated while they are out of the house. People don't want to become tired from being dehydrated, so they bring water with them. Water bottles are very popular, even though most of them are just tap water. The three texts I read, all show advantages and disadvantages of plastic water bottles. Each article also uses all three persuasive appeals, ethos, pathos and logos.
My research question: Is the convenience of bottled water worth all the sacrifices in terms of money, resources, health and damage to the ecosystem?
In today’s society it is uncommon to see people walking around without water. Those who carry water with them either have their water in a reusable bottle or have bought bottled water. Bottled water is the more commonly found type of water carried around, reason being that it is easy to just buy a huge pack so that a person can just grab a bottle a go. The problem with bottled water is that more often than not, the bottle does not get recycled, but instead gets thrown into the garbage. The problem with this is that the bottles end up in a landfill. However, in this past year alone American’s used “about 50 billion plastic water bottles” (Ban The Bottle, n.d., Para. 4). Most people do not see the big difference between bottled water and tap
It’s no secret that Central Oregon is a brewtopia for craft beers and breweries, but there’s a new beverage trending in America that’s being brewed right here in Bend as well¬––hard cider. Traditional cider is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples, pears, peaches and other fruit. This flavorful libation, once the beverage of choice in America, is waging a comeback.
The US Container Recycling Institute estimates that 67 million plastic water bottles are discarded every day, enough plastic water bottles to wrap around the planet 149 times each year. Indeed, plastic water bottles should be banned from use by the public. The usage of water bottles should be suppressed because they are unimaginably dangerous, wasteful, expensive, and rarely recycled.
The phenomenon of single use bottled water is quite fascinating. People pay money for water, but really they are just paying for the plastic. Water is needed to survive, and surviving is a human right, so people are paying to acquire the human right to survive, when water is essentially free if you go to the nearest fountain or faucet. In the United States, there are more laws making sure tap water is safe to drink, than bottled water, and currently, bottled water is more expensive than gas by the gallon. About 40% of bottled water is just tap water, the other 60% of bottled water just has minerals added that have no proven health advantages. So, why pay for the plastic? Will air be harnessed in plastic next? (lol)
Promote social responsibility; recycle scrap water bottles and use recycled plastic in the production of our bottles
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees the bottled-water industry, Americans drink more than eight billiongallons of bottled water each year. Most of that water is packaged in plastic bottles.The EPA estimates that plastics such as those used to make water bottles make up nearly 13 percent of our trash. An industry watchdog group reports that it takes nearly eighteen million barrels of oil to make the amount of plastic needed to meet Americans'thirst for bottled water. That's about the same amount of oil that a million vehicles use in one year. Oil is a nonrenewable resource—once it's gone, it's gone. Worse yet, the vehicles used to move bottled water from place to place release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Perhaps more alarming is that people recycle fewer than 20 percent of their empty bottles. Most emptybottles are tossed in the trash. From there, they end up in a landfill, where they cause further environmental damage.
Water is essential for humanity’s survival, and even though the world is largely covered by water, only a small percentage is only usable for human consumption. Approximately, on average, 120,000 gallons of water are used annually for a single-family household (Galbraith). This alarming number could be reduced dramatically for the efforts of water conserving and lower water bill prices for families and subsequently saving money that could be used for other expenses. Thus, conserving water would prove beneficial and advantageous to not just Texas, but for everyone else as well. Although environmental policies have been not as popular with Congress and the state legislature, it is still an important problem to consider since there are only a limited amount of resources for public use, such as water.
Have you ever saw something and asked yourself the question of just why? If you have not, then the activity of water bottle flipping will certainly have you asking. Water bottle flipping has become an international trend, starting when 18 year old Mike Senator did it for a talent show (http://fusion.net/story/306685/water-bottle-flip-video-watch/). If it is either in your own house or taking a stroll in the park, bottle flippers have been everywhere with the prime objective of throwing a water bottle into the air and trying to get it to land upright. But the real question people should be asking themselves, is if it is beneficial to them.
Water bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics that don’t biodegrade, but they are completely recyclable. PETs photo degrade, they break down into smaller fragments over time. These fragments absorb all the toxins that pollute waterways, contaminate soil, and sicken animals (which are then consumed). The plastic trash also absorbs organic pollutants such as BPA. They take centuries to decompose while sitting in landfills, amounting to billions of environmentally poisonous time bombs.
Disposable containers create unsightly neighborhoods and countryside. While driving this weekend, I counted 28 Dr. Pepper bottles and 14 Diet Coke cans in a 2½-mile span of roadway. Our neighborhoods and countryside are being plagued daily by enormous amounts of empty bottles and cans. People don't think twice about pitching their empties out of the car window. An uncaring attitude is taking over society. Although Coca-Cola seems to be reaping the benefits of our fast-paced, thirsty society, our beautiful land is not so lucky. On Saturdays, I see Boy Scout Troop 99 picking up trash using separate sacks for the bottles and the cans. By noon, their total bottle and can collection for a one-mile radius generally fills about 17 large garbage bags. Obviously, this is proof that these disposable bottles and cans are destroying the beauty of our neighborhoods. Another example I have encountered is the ugliness presented on Highway 66 between Luther and Wellston. Again, it is common to see paper sacks full of bottles and cans thrown to the side of the road. Subsequently, the bottles break in pieces over the side of the highway, threatening flat tires for the motorists. Playgrounds are demolished by cans left behind after picnics on Sunday afternoons. Parks have been invaded by party groups too lazy to hit the trash cans. Instead, glass is broken and left behind for others to deal with. In addition to blemishing our neighborhoods and countrysides, disposable bottles and cans cause hazards to the wildlife.
Water is one of the most essential non-renewable natural resources on the Earth. Technically, an un-hydrated human being can live no more than three days. In the United States, people consume water mainly from tap water and bottle water. However, the consumption between these two sources is not even but lean to one side heavily. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, people consume from 240 to over 10000 times more per gallon for bottled water than they usually do for tap water. (NRDC) In addition, according to a survey from US National Library of Medicines, only 17% of the participants prefer to drink tap water exclusively.(US National Library) Compared to the bottled water which is shining like a superstar, tap water is like a diligent worker in the shade, unpopular but useful. The extremely unbalance of bottled water consumption implies that a commonly hold conception exists: bottle water is superior to tap water. In fact, scientific evidence proves that tap water is nothing different than bottle water. More importantly, the excessive consumption of bottled water is an irrational use of resources and creates severe environmental issues.
It might be easier to live a healthy life for many people, but for others it can be very challenging. I have tried to be healthy so many times, but I always fell off the wagon. For many days I would “feel” healthy, but in reality I was not the healthiest person mentally or physically. I knew that I had to change my behavior, and become healthier (or at least almost healthy) if I wanted to live a longer life. I began my journey by drinking more water, balancing my eating with exerting, all while trying to stay mentally well.