Eco-Legislation issue of the week: Bottled Water........OF DOOM!!!!

The last decade has seen an absolute explosion of bottled water consumption all over the world. People think of bottled water as a safer, healthier alternative to municipal tap water, but there is no proof. In fact, the EPA's standards for municipal tap water are more stringent in some areas than the FDA's bottled water standards. I personally don't give a hoot if somebody wants to pay the hundreds of percents mark-ups on bottled water, but it is becoming a boon on the environment.,

The vast majority of bottled water is housed in plastic containers. These billions and billions of empty bottles are filling up landfills and burning fossil fuels that add to global warming. The most common plastic used for water is petroleum derived, the transportation of water (sometimes around the world) uses vast and unnecessary amounts of oil, and it creates a ton of trash.

Massachusettes Representative Edward J. Markey introduced bill H.R.4238 to the House of Representatives last November, the Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2007. (Read full bill text here and the official website here). The bill is meant to help curb bottle consumption and promote recycling across the country. Here is what the bill is all about:

• A 5 cent deposit will be charged for every aluminum, plastic or any other kind of bottle sold.


• Consumers will be able to return the bottles to a proper retailer or recycling center to recieve their money back.


• This should increase recycling rates drastically in the roughly 40 states that have no deposit program. A study shows that states with these programs have 2 and a half times bottle recycling than those states without it!!


• Several studies covering pre and post bottle bill litter rates report drastic decreases in bottle litter and litter in general. (See the various studies on the bills website here)
• Of course this is only a start to what needs to be done and who knows how far the bill will actually make it through congress. There are no shortage of bottled water critics across the country, so here are some websites with information about the issues and a few tidbits to mull around:
• A 1999 study showed that 60%-70% of all bottled water isn't even regulated by the FDA because bottled water sold in the same state it is manufactured in is exempt. Also, there is a comparison showing what standards municiapal water must follow that bottled water isn't required too. Bottled Water Blues website
• Many groups trumpet home filtration systems that use tap water as the most economical way to get treated water. It also produces better quality water than municipal and bottled water. Read a New York Times article on these products


• The National Resources Defense Council discusses many crucial water issues. Also links to the NRDC's 1999 study Bottled Water Pure Drink or Pure Hype? Shows interesting findings on bottled water quality and negative impact


• A great article from the always-wise Earth Policy Institute regarding the problems with bottled water.
• Find your local water quality data here. (Tucson's water quality report)

Here is a humerous but infromative look at the bottled water craze by Penn and Teller:

A 20/20 report called "Demystifying Bottled Water":

Another report on how bottled water is bad for the environment:

Thats all I got today, you are probably thirsty by now from reading all about this water. Why don't you go hop in your SUV, buy some premium bottled water that costs more than gasoline and go ahead and throw it in the trash. God bless America!