(NU) - In recent news reports,
focus has been given to bottled
water and its high cost and impact
on the environment. Despite the
hype, and billions of dollars spent
on advertising campaigns touting
bottled water as safer or better
than tap water, the best water may
not come in a bottle.
According to a recent Consumer
Reports study, the most
common problem noted with municipal
water is chlorine. The
taste and odor of chlorine plays
a large part in why consumers
choose bottled water over the tap.
Yet, bottled water comes at a
heavy cost – Americans spend between
$2 and $10 a gallon for water
at the grocery store, and bottled
water sales top $10.8 billion
a year. Furthermore, a report by
the U.S. Water News stated that
40 percent of bottled water is simply
filtered, treated tap water.
Bottled water production can
also waste energy and be harmful
to the environment. Most bottled
water is packaged in bottles derived
from oil, commonly known
as PET. U.S. bottle production requires
1.5 million barrels of oil
annually, creates two million tons
of trash that will not degrade for
hundreds of years, and may contribute
to global warming.
Customers in the United
States pay about $2 for every 750
gallons of tap water. With water
that inexpensive, a consumer can
filter his or her own – filling
3,000 bottles of delicious tasting
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