maybe not the best way to start the day…

[Seramount]

have posted about bottled water before, but will repeat a few points.

retired from the state env regulatory agency's Public Drinking Water section. many name-brand bottlers came under our purview...Dasani, Nestle', Ozarka, etc. with one or two rare exceptions, most of these companies were using plain old municipal tap water (NOT glaciers, icebergs, natural springs) as a source and then simply doing additional treatments (reverse osmosis, filtration, mineral enhancement, blah blah).

so, consumers are paying HUGELY inflated prices for what essentially costs a few cents per gallon to produce. the ridiculous price for a bottom of 'pure' water goes to the petroleum to manufacture the plastic bottle and fuel to transport it.

the enormous waste stream from bottled water impacts every person in every community and the ever-increasing amount of pollution placed in the environment will likely not begin to diminish for decades to come.

the subject of microplastic-related health issues may get people's attention and start a movement away from plastic use, but I seriously doubt it will happen any time soon.

portraying bottled water as a healthier product is just marketing BS at its finest. drink up, suckers...you've been totally conned.

[C40_guy]

My drinking and domestic water comes from a hole in the front yard. It goes into stainless steel, ceramic or glass cups (and occasionally a cycling water bottle or hydration vest) and then, after processing (so to speak), goes into a hole in the back yard.

I am shocked and amazed when I see how many bottles people go through. And I have friends and relatives who bring their own plastic bottles to our house. I send them home with them.

[NHAero]

Going to see this film on Saturday as part of our annual Environmental Film Festival
https://mvfilmsociety.com/2024/05/mveff-were-all-plastic-people-now/

[72gmc]

Originally Posted by Seramount

portraying bottled water as a healthier product is just marketing BS at its finest. drink up, suckers...you've been totally conned.

It goes back centuries, correct? The concept of "healthier water" from some faraway place that is not just worth traveling to, but worth putting in containers and shipping at inflated prices. Moving from earthenware/glass/metal to plastic is just the latest development.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by benb

It's definitely something that needs top down attention.

I wouldn't worry about it - the medical community and the FDA are 100% on the ball(s).

[Plum Hill]

Ever been to Switzerland?
They drink the crap out of bottled water. With “gas” and “still”.
Yet every town has a fountain or spigot that runs 24/7 with the nicest drinking water flowing from it. I seen “foreigners” filling bottles from them but very few locals.
Our tour groups always insist on pitchers of water at the dinner table. Often met with scowls as they’d rather charge 4 or 5 francs for bottled water. One restauranteur even refused to provide tap water.
They just can’t understand crazy Americans.

[ERK55]

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

Ever been to Switzerland?
They drink the crap out of bottled water. With “gas” and “still”.
Yet every town has a fountain or spigot that runs 24/7 with the nicest drinking water flowing from it. I seen “foreigners” filling bottles from them but very few locals.
Our tour groups always insist on pitchers of water at the dinner table. Often met with scowls as they’d rather charge 4 or 5 francs for bottled water. One restauranteur even refused to provide tap water.
They just can’t understand crazy Americans.

I lived in L’Aquila, Italy for several years. The “Gran Sasso D’Italia” a 10,000 ft snow-capped Apennine peak was visible out the window. The tap water was ice-cold and delicious. Yet only bottled water was served in all of the local restaurants.

[Bikeydany]

Originally Posted by NHAero

Going to see this film on Saturday as part of our annual Environmental Film Festival
https://mvfilmsociety.com/2024/05/mveff-were-all-plastic-people-now/

Thanks for sharing about the environmental film festival screening of "We're All Plastic People Now." It sounds interesting. Is this the same film that was featured on PBS Nature recently? https://www.pbs.org/video/were-all-p...le-now-rkg2mq/

[572cv]

Originally Posted by benb

It's definitely something that needs top down attention.

It seems like without regulations with teeth companies will not do the right thing.

One trip over to Europe will completely tell you it *can* be better though. Not saying they are perfect but there are a bunch of things they do that are clearly better that are not exactly rocket science and not exactly hard. They just require someone to actually tell companies they need to stop what they're doing, and in a lot of cases it's just going back to the way they used to do it.

In France this year, all the plastic bottles (OJ, juice, milk, fizzy water, whatever) have a clever new design on the cap which leaves it attached with a ring to the bottle, but still lets it be opened and reclosed. No more dinky caps of the same plastic material lost or chucked elsewhere. There are lots of little things that cumulatively can begin to make a difference.