Did you know, that when you purchase a bottle of water from the shelf, you are really just paying for that disposable plastic bottle. When you have finished with it, the environment continues paying for that convenience. Here are a few of the reasons why disposable bottles are a menace to the planet.
Fossil Fuel Use
When it comes to creating plastic water bottles, the amount of oil required for manufacture is mind-blowing. For just one disposable bottle to be made, it takes an entire litre of oil. Considering we use around 7.7 billion water bottles a year in the UK, that adds up to an awful lot of oil – a non-renewable fossil fuel that is incredibly disruptive to access.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Then, you have to factor in the emissions that come from the production process. The carbon dioxide emissions are helping to intensify the greenhouse effect which is causing sea levels to rise and chaotic extreme weather conditions.
While the same resources are required for reusable water bottles, they can be used over and over again, so that far fewer bottles need to be made.
Water in Production
Did you know that it actually takes more water to create your disposable plastic bottle than it does to fill it? So, every time you purchase a convenience drink, you are consuming more than double the amount of water that you drink. We should be taking the idea of saving water seriously as the rising population is starting to put pressure on the country’s water systems and there are limited fresh water resources available. Every time you fill up your reusable bottle instead of purchasing a disposable drink, you are more than halving your water consumption. We’d recommend one of our water bottles perfect for also tracking your fluid intake.
After-Life
Once you have finished the drink inside your disposable plastic water bottle, it needs to be thrown away. Even if you choose to put that bottle in your recycling bin, there is no guarantee that it will be recycled. It is more likely to head to landfill with the rest of the waste, where it will sit for hundreds of years. If it does start to decompose, it will create hazardous microplastics which get washed into the soil and end up in our foods.
In contrast, your reusable drink bottle will head to the kitchen, where you can easily clean it ready for use another time. Even if it does finally end up in landfill, it will take the place of hundreds of disposable bottles that you could have sent there instead.
The amount of waste we produce as human beings is incredible and it seems to be growing, rather than showing any signs of slowing down. Anything you can do to reduce your output is great, which is why you should join the reusable bottle revolution!
