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It is commonly believed that most disposable plastic water bottles are recycled and reused. In fact, close to 80% of used water bottles end up in the trash that piles up in our landfills. By switching from bottled water to tap water, we can help reduce the number of plastic bottles that get tossed into the trash. On average, there are 137 million plastic bottles that get thrown into the trash every day. That is enough, laid end to end to reach China and back.
Back2Tap makes it easier to turn away from bottled water with their stainless steel reusable water bottles. Consider the number of water bottles that you have used in your life until this point. Now consider how many more water bottles you have the potential to use throughout the rest of your life. With the help of a stainless steel reusable water bottle, you can eliminate 100% of your future disposable plastic water bottle usage and do your part in helping rid the environment of the millions of plastic bottles that are dumped in our landfills every day.
Precycling. A new term I just read on iVillage.com used to describe the concept of choosing goods with less packaging waste. It falls under the concept of “reducing” in the EPA’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle slogan, but I like the “pre” part of it. This reminds us that we are supposed to consider the waste implications before we buy something.
These days there are so many choices – especially at the grocery store. You can buy packaged food as single servings or in containers large enough to serve an army. Last summer, I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful family of four from Venezuala. Veronica, the mother, stunned me when she mentioned that preparing meals for her family in the US generated four times more garbage than preparing the same meals back home. I still can’t quite imagine how they do it, and I’m sure she can’t quite imagine why we are so wasteful. Clearly, we have a long way to go toward reducing waste in this nation, but precycling is certainly a good step we can take as individuals right away.
At Back2Tap we sell reusable bottles and bags to reduce the use of disposable plastic bottles and bags.
As frugal as I am, I do not refill disposable plastic bottles. On rare occasions when I found myself stuck buying a bottle of water, I used to save the empty plastic bottle and reuse it. Not anymore. When I was researching reusable bottles last fall, I came across a Canadian study that had tested water bottles in a school and found that 13% had bacteria levels exceeding drinking water guidelines by the end of the school day. Worse than that, approximately 9% were found to have fecal coliforms. Ugh! Apparently, the children hadn’t washed their hands well before opening and closing the bottles. Even if hands are clean, there are bacteria in your mouth that will get into your drink. After sitting at room temperature all day on their desks, the bacteria had multiplied and the bottled water wasn’t too clean.
With all these germs, it is important to be able to get a bottle clean before reusing it. Disposable plastic bottles are made out of polyethylene terephthalate, PET or PETE for short. There will be a #1 in the plastic resin code triangle on the bottom. They are manufactured for a single use – the plastic is very thin and easily damaged so they are not designed to withstand washing or multiple uses. Getting them clean is also difficult because the top opening is very narrow. They never really get dry.
So recycle that disposable plastic bottle if you have to use one, or better yet, get yourself a reusable bottle like a stainless steel bottle with a wide-opening for easy cleaning!
Ever wonder what happens to all the plastic bottles we use? A surprisingly small percentage of disposable plastic bottles are recycled – only 23%. The other 77% go to landfills.
Due to the complexity of reprocessing plastic, bottles collected for recycling are typically “downcycled” – that is, made into something of lesser value. Instead of being made into new drink containers, most are used for carpet backing, clothing, etc. The economics of this process are challenging in the best of times. It is cheaper to use virgin material – oil – than to use recycled plastic.
Given our current economic downturn, the economics of recycling plastic have gotten even worse. Prices for recycled materials have plummeted as demand from China and everywhere has dropped. According to a recent New York Times article, “Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up” recycled materials are accumulating by the ton and if things don’t change they may be heading for landfills instead of a second life.
Time to reuse, not recycle!
