If you’re anything like me you hopefully you like to stay hydrated. I was purchasing 2-4 bottles of bottled water a day. I spend a lot of time on the road and it was easy to purchase a couple of bottles of “no particular brand” water from the nearby petrol station. They were usually on a “2 for” special, so that would suit me, I would need to stop every hour to go to the toilet but that was fine. And whenever I ran out then I would stop at the next station and get another 2. You might be thinking that these are recyclable so it’s okay. Unfortunately there aren’t as many recycling bins on the side of the road as maybe there should be, so more often than not they would end up in a rubbish bin. When we think about it recycling shouldn’t really excuse this unnecessary consumption. Especially since there is a much more sustainable alternative.
What I do now is have 2 drink bottles that I keep in my fridge, one comes with an Ice pack that fits inside to keep it cool while I drink the other one. For those that like the fruit flavoured water they make them now with infusers that add some flavour to your drink. There really is no reason for bottled water on a regular basis, I now only purchase bottled water if I am really thirsty and I am not nearby an easy water source, and I make sure I only buy one, and that bottle I take home to recycle. I have even brought empty bottles home in my carry on luggage when flying home because there were no recycling facilities at the airport. It is funny to think that over a year ago I would have just thrown it in the rubbish without a second thought. These plastic bottles are not returned to the bottled water companies to be cleaned, refilled and sent back out for sale. These plastics no longer meet the food-grade standards so and sent to plants where they are turned into things like rubbish bins and road cones. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that these recycled bottle initiatives are a bad thing. I think it is fantastic that we have the ability to turn our waste into other things and minimise what goes to landfill. However these initiatives to have a cost. There is environmental costs in running these plants and turning these unwanted products into other things. So we end up double dipping when it comes to the energy it takes to power these factories because we had to create the item we are recycling in the first place.
So I leave you with a challenge. If you buy a lot of bottled water then try buying at least one sturdy drink bottle and refill it instead of buying bottled water. Do not beat yourself up if you end up buying some bottled water if you’re somewhere where you can not refill your drink bottle. Remember even if you can reduce your bottled water consumption by one a day, or one a week if you do not purchase it too often then you are making a difference and you will be well on your way to BeingGreen!!
