I need a new nozzle! How much water to make & ship THAT?
I’ve had this for a few years now and it definitely looks like it fell off the roof of my car a few times. I got it to carry my water around with me so I wouldn’t buy water in plastic bottles. I heard this would, ironically, save some water.
How much water does it take to make a plastic bottle for bottled water?
1.85 GALLONS of water.
Can you believe that?
Well, this article is a couple of years old so things may have changed slightly but still!
All I knew when I got my bottle was that:
1. It takes more water to MAKE a water bottle than is actually INSIDE the bottle!
2. It takes petroleum to make the plastic.
3. It can only be recycled once and not into another water bottle. (Although in parts of Europe that capability does exist.)
This is a really easy step to take – REI sells these and you can also order them online. I take it empty on the plane and fill it up (yes, using bottled water on the plane which sucks.) But then I have my bottle for the rest of my trip.
Devil’s Advocate Question: how much water does it take to make this aluminum bottle AND when you do the math(s), is it still the eco-friendlier path to take?
What do you all think about aluminum versus plastic water bottles? Do you care? If you do care or if you couldn’t care less, I can’t wait to hear from you below!
3 comments on Weekly Green::Reusable Water Bottle
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George
November 14, 2011 at 10:25 am (4756 days ago)Wow, you really dived into some in-depth analysis. Never really thought that it takes more water to make a water bottle than is actually inside the bottle. Very interesting, and I used to be indifferent about the uses of plastic or aluminum bottles, but now that I have read all of the disturbing effects a plastic bottle may have on the body, I will definitely opt toward something like this. Bottom line is aluminum bottles are safer to drink out of. Some people will continue to be apathetic tho. Thanks for the educational article!
Josh
December 8, 2011 at 11:04 am (4732 days ago)Hi Christina! I have thought on this issue for a while. I try *NOT* to buy things that are marketed as eco-friendly IF I have viable alternative that doesn’t create new manufacturing demand. With water bottles it happens that there are ALWAYS plastic water bottles around and I reuse them. I DO NOT regularly buy water bottles, but it seems you always end up getting one from someone maybe after a race or an event. So I just hang on to them and reuse. These bottles already exist and I try not to encourage anyone to buy/make/ship any more of them, but realistically there is a demand for them and I just try to re-use from that demand. (Call me a bottom feeder in the retail chain, if you will!)
As for chemicals and health issues relating to plastic bottles, I DO NOT store water in them for long. Maybe just overnight if I’m going on a run or a hike or something because even if there is BPA in the plastic (it’s really starting to go away) there really isn’t time for it to leach into the water.
Now, if there comes a day when no one uses these “disposable” plastic bottles (they are starting to get banned from campuses and workplaces around the country), I would definitely acquire one.
Christina
December 13, 2011 at 4:13 pm (4727 days ago)Very thoughtful response!! I have wondered also about those ubiquitous canvas tote bags that everyone & their mother is giving out. They seem coated in some fireproof chemicals or something that can then coat my organic locally grown rainbow swiss chard. HAHAHAA!!!! Whenever someone gives me a plastic water bottle (probably 6x a year – which, if you multiply that by 7 billion – is a LOT!) I reuse it for months – especially when flying (don’t get me started on air travel besides the gas required). Phew! My head’s about to explode. That said, I have had this water bottle for 3 solid years now so I think it has def. saved a lot of plastic water bottles but still, your point isn’t to be taken lightly – especially the reduce & reuse aspects. Thanks for your comment! You made my head spin.