Green Resolution 1: No More Plastic Water Bottles!

by Jac

We are asking you to join us kicking off 2024 with a three-part Green Resolution to reduce your single-use plastic use.  We are going to focus on the most prevalent and impactful in this series - bottles, bags and take out containers.

This week, we focus on why this should be your year to finally say goodbye to single-use plastic water bottles.

What's the problem with single use plastic water bottles?

When we were growing up and going to school, playing sports, attending backyard parties, etc, there was no bottled water.  We could write a lot about the meteoric rise of the sale of plastic-bottled water, but instead let’s talk about the concerns with it:

The Cost
Municipal tap water typically costs less than 1 cent per gallon.  Bottled water is by some estimates 1000x MORE expensive than tap water!  And while it may sound like it comes from a mythical spring in a remote wilderness, many times it is the same water you can drink in your kitchen.  For example. water brands such as Aquafina, Dasani, Nestle Pure Life and even Smartwater are all examples of “purified water” from a municipal or public water supply.  In other words - it’s tap water that is simply filtered and bottled in plastic.  

The (lack of) Testing and Quality Control
Many people will swear that bottled water tastes “cleaner” than tap water.  But is it cleaner? Tap water in the U.S. is regulated under the Safe Water Drinking Act via the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  But bottled water is considered “food” and therefore regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  

Municipal tap water is tested frequently - you can review the published 2022 Glen Ellyn Water Quality test report here and previous years here. We spoke with the Glen Ellyn Public Works department, who told us that the Village is required to collect and test 30 water samples EACH MONTH!  

However, plastic bottled water is not required to be tested at that frequency.  FDA regulators do test the bottling process but often do not test the water itself; that is primarily left to the manufacturers.  This information is not published or readily available online (we found a 2018 report for Smartwater and no report for Nestle Pure Life, for example).  Furthermore, manufacturers are not required to disclose contaminants found in bottled water or recall the water.  The EPA and FDA state that “The best way to know if the [bottled] water you are drinking is free from the contaminant(s) you are concerned about is to contact the bottler and ask for the latest testing results and whether the water has been treated to remove the contaminant.” !!

Consuming Microplastics
Plastic particles have been found at higher rates in bottled water than tap water.  A study published this week found that a single liter of bottled water contained on average 240,000 nanoplastic particles - 10 to 100 times higher than previously thought.  This is concerning because plastic contains endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which are a class of chemicals that can mimic and confuse our endocrine system.  EDCs have been linked with a variety of health problems including fertility and reproductive issues, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.

Litter
Plastic water bottles have contributed to the enormous rise of plastic pollution around the world.  Worldwide, nearly 1,000,000 plastic bottles are bought EVERY MINUTE - that means in one day, over 1,440,000,000 bottles are used.  Keep in mind U.S. plastic recycling rates are estimated at 5-6%. That means most of those bottles are NOT recycled. Some will be burned which creates harmful emissions, or shipped overseas to developing nations which lack infrastructure to deal with this volume of plastic waste.  The majority will end up in landfills or as litter.  Our landfills are running out of space - Illinois’ landfills have only 18 years of space left.  And it is estimated that more than 80% of all litter is plastic.  This litter of course ends up in our parks, beaches, lakes and oceans.

What about in an emergency?
Emergencies such as natural disasters can result in temporary contamination of the municipal water supply.  Many of us also remember the Flint, Michigan case where a switch in the supply of the municipal water source from the Detroit River/Lake Huron to the polluted Flint River (and continued cover up by government agencies and public authorities) led to lack of clean tap drinking water for years.  In cases such as these, bottled water is an unavoidable choice.  

So what about when you do have a choice?  Check out our "Do" section for quick tips to minimize your single-use plastic water bottle consumption in various situations:

Actions You Can Take

In your home…Pull out those glass pitchers you probably have hidden in the back of your cabinet.  Fill them up and keep them in the fridge.  GE has great tap water.  Add some zing by putting a few citrus slices or fresh berries in it.  Having a party and think you must buy plastic water bottles?  Instead, use a beverage dispenser (or borrow one from /share with a friend) and make a beautiful water station with lemons, limes, and cute glasses.  Kids are coming over to your house and you want water as an option? Fill up those pitchers and give them a stack of cups.

If you absolutely cannot live without single use plastic water bottles, consider opting for a non-plastic brand such as Liquid Death, Box Water, Open Water.  These can be found at most major grocery stores and online retailers now.  

When you are out and about…if financially feasible, invest in a quality stainless steel water bottle that has a style that is pleasing to you.  Some people enjoy ones with straws; others prefer a twist off cap. Choose a bottle that you like and will be motivated to use AND reuse.

Then, make it a habit to bring your own stainless steel water bottle with you wherever you go!  This can easily become routine.  When you leave your house, just think “phone, keys, wallet, water”.  It has a great ring to it!  Or, just keep water bottles in your car and then bring them in every few days to wash and restock. 

Encourage your entire household to get into this habit.  Then you always have access to water and don’t have to purchase overpriced water. 

There are also water refill stations almost everywhere you go.  Specifically in Glen Ellyn, there are filtered water refill stations at Ackerman, Main St Rec Center, Spring Ave Rec Center, GE Public Library, Civic Center and all the schools. Lake Ellyn and the Prairie Path have them seasonally.  Any restaurant that has fountain drinks has a water dispenser in it.  Just keep filling up wherever you go! 

When you are traveling…many of us who are good about bringing water bottles with us when we are at home can fall short when we travel.  But adding your reusable water bottle to your travel bag is easy, and you will be so thankful that you have it when you get to your destination.  Just finish drinking up your water before going through security (or chug it in line!) so that you go through with an empty bottle, then refill once you are through security. There are water refill stations all over most airports.  Then, most hotels will have a water refill station in the gym.  If you are away at a kids sports tournament, bring an extra water bottle or an extra large water bottle.  Fill up as many bottles as you can carry so you don’t have to resort to the plastic water bottles.   

On this “Quitters Day”, don’t quit your resolution, quit using plastic water bottles instead!  With just a bit of effort, you can ditch single use plastic water bottles in most situations!