Drinking water

... In 2007, Americans bought about 215 billion plastic beverage containers, including 30 billion single-serving bottles of water. We throw out some 60 million water bottles alone per day in the United States. And, as most plastic water bottles are made of polyethylene terephtalate (PET), the production of which consumes oil, we waste about 1.5 million barrels of crude oil each year on these water bottles.

In those disposable water bottles, we are drinking 9 billion gallons of bottled water annually. Tap water costs a fraction of one cent for a 12-ounce serving. A 12-ounce bottle of water sells for at least a buck (at 128 ounces to a gallon, gasoline is much cheaper). A.D. Brunhart, the general manager of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, points out that one dollar of their tap water fills more than 2,000 20-ounce plastic bottles. And recent studies, have shown that tap water wins most taste tests versus bottled water. Its quality invariably meets or exceeds Environmental Protection Agency standards. Plus, you have to consider the wasted energy all around: To refill a glass of water, you walk to the sink. Bottled water involves driving to the market, waiting in the checkout line and returning home to enjoy your water. There are also health consequences. Bottled water is seldom fluoridated. The Centers for Disease Control attributes increased tooth decay in young children to increased consumption of unfluoridated bottled water.

TRASH TALKING Fred Schwab  Geotomes March 2008 p. 60     www.geotimes.org