Many people don’t realize the impact that plastic water bottles have both on our environment and our health. Here are some important reasons why you should scrap disposable bottles and start using a reusable water bottle!:
The bottles don’t even get recycled
Yup, you heard that right. The water bottles that you thought were going to get broken down and made into something are most likely in a landfill in India or somewhere else across the globe. So even though we feel great that we recycled our bottles, they’re really just mostly ending up in a landfill. By using a reusable water bottle, you are eliminating more waste from being made, good job!
Chemicals can seep into the water
When using a disposable water bottle, you’ve probably been told not to drink it if it’s been sitting out in the sun, and for good reason. The chemicals from the plastic bottle seep into the water, and inevitably end up in our bodies. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, several types of cancer, and more. By switching to a reusable water bottle, you avoid falling into this mess.
Tap water is better than bottled water
I know what you’re thinking, that’s a pretty bold statement. But it’s true! (Depending on your location of course). Water bottle companies originally told the public that tap water was bad to increase sales, and well, they’ve succeeded. But the truth is your tap water is almost always healthier. It gets filtered more often where bottled water doesn’t. If you don’t believe me, google it!
You’ll be saving animals
Sea animals so often mistake plastic bags and bottles for food. And even when they don’t, there is so much broken down plastic in the water that they inevitably ingest it. No more plastic bottles means happier sea life!
There’s a bunch of colors to choose from
Coming from a college campus where (I’d like to think) the majority of students use reusable water bottles, you can get them in so many different colors. If you wanna be even more creative you can use... Stickers! Stickering your water bottle is so much fun. You can personalize it in anyway you want, and people can get more of a sense about the person who you are. And vise versa! You can support your favorite teams, companies or places, while doing better for our planet.
You’ll be more Hydrated
Many water bottles have a scale on the side where you can see how many Milliliters of water you’ve had. This gives you a better idea of how much you’ve had and how much more you need to go. It’s a good way to track and challenge yourself on a day to day basis! For an extra push, try assigning a time to a specific amount of water a day.
You’ll be happy you did
You’ll look super trendy I mean, everyone’s doing it, so why shouldn’t you? Let’s save the world together! And as companies are seeing the market for them grow, they’re constantly coming out with nicer and nicer patterns. (don’t worry guys they’re not all girly, there’s a lot to choose from)
It’s an investment
Why would you wanna buy a water bottle that ranges from $5-$40 when you can just buy one for $2? Depending on the price, you’ll end up breaking even probably within the first week or two. If you take good care of your bottle, you can have the same one for years, think of all the money you’ll save! If you already pay for water as a part of utilities (like most of us do) than ideally, you won’t be spending any additional money on drinking water.
You’ll really be helping the environment
In this time in our lives, we tend to hope that the generations after us will save the planet for us, and that it doesn’t have to be our responsibility. That is so far from true. If we want a clean or livable planet for our children and grandchildren, we need to start taking part in these efforts as soon as possible. Using a reusable water bottle can be the first step.
A lot of my inspiration for writing this article came from the documentary Tapped. I strongly encourage you to watch it so you can see for yourself the negative impacts of using a plastic water bottle. The information that they provide is astounding. It’s so important to be informed!!
Sheetal Tadiparty
Flickr Creative Commons
