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The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it is launching a review of the potential risks of plastic particles in drinking water, after a study found tiny pieces of plastic in more than 90% of samples from the world's most popular bottled water brands.

That analysis was conducted by the State University of New York in Fredonia as part of a project from the U.S.-based journalism organization Orb Media, and it involved 259 bottles of water from 11 brands across nine countries. They were bought in China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Lebanon, Kenya, Thailand and the U.S.

Of all the bottles tested, only 17 were found to be free of plastic. On average, each liter sold contained 325 pieces of microplastic, including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate. In one case, a bottle of Nestlé Pure Life contained more tahn 10,000 pieces of microplastic. High levels were also found in bottles of Bisleri (5,230), Gerolsteiner (5,160) and Aqua (4,713).

According to WHO officials, there is no evidence that the consumption of microplastic fibers has an impact on human health, but it remains an emerging area of concern.

* Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)

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Study Finds Microplastics In 93% Of Bottled Water [Infographic]

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The World Health Organization has announced that it is launching a review of the potential risks of plastic particles in drinking water, after a study found tiny pieces of plastic in more than 90% of samples from the world's most popular bottled water brands.

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Plastic Bottle Infographic / Bottled Water Consumption

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Plastic bottle Infographic design by Waterlovers

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Plastic Bottle Infographic / Bottled Water Consumption

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Plastic bottle Infographic design by Waterlovers

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Groundbreaking process powered by the sun converts plastic and CO2 into fuel

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Carbon dioxide emissions and plastic waste are two of the biggest threats that society faces today. Researchers from the University of Cambridge report an innovative solution to tackle both seemingly insurmountable problems. They have developed a method, powered fully by sunlight, to turn plastic bottles and carbon dioxide into sustainable fuels and useful chemicals.

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How Plastic Affects Animals and Harms Them - Plastic Soup Foundation

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How does plastic affect animals on land and in the oceans? Plastic in the environment harms animals in many ways: learn more.

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Plastic is certainly a superhero when it comes to making life more convenient. It can be made into dishes and eating utensils that you never have to wash. Single-serve beverages and snacks in plastic packaging are an easy grab-and-go option when you're running out the door for work or school. And how about plastic shopping bags so you don't have to remember to bring a gazillion reusable bags every time you head to the grocery store?

You may already be shaking your head at these excuses for using plastic, but the reality is that this material is very appealing to many for the fact that it makes life much more convenient. It can save you time and energy in your daily routine. And besides, a lot of those plastic water bottles and shopping bags end up in recycling centers where they're made into awesome new products, right?

Well, it is true that some plastics do end up in recycling centers and can be made into sweet new objects like a park bench or playground equipment. The reality is that the majority of plastics go un-recycled. In the United States, the EPA estimates that only 12 percent of plastic waste gets recycled. The plastic materials that don't end up recycled typically get sent to landfills where they may take as many as 1,000 years to decompose.

For something that is supposed to be quick and convenient, there is nothing quick or convenient about the complete lifecycle of a plastic object. It spends a mere fraction of its existence actually serving a purpose. And the rest of the time, you'll find, it is actually a nuisance and threatens the health of the environment, animals, and even people. How so? Read on.

1. To Make Plastic, We Need Oil...

Before we can even address the issues that improperly discarded plastics present to the planet, we have to talk about the dangers they cause to the environment as they're simply being produced. Petroleum and natural gas are required to manufacture plastics. For the 30 million plastic bags used in the United States per year alone, 12 million barrels of oil are required. And for all of the water bottles manufactured in the United States each year, roughly 17 million barrels of oil are needed. The drilling, transportation, and processing of this oil into plastic materials is an energy-intensive process that involves burning fossil fuels which ultimately furthers the effects of climate change. Estimates for the amount of carbon released from plastic manufacturing vary, but anywhere from 100 million to 500 million tons per year as the direct result of plastic manufacturing. That works out to the equivalent of emissions from between 19 million and 92 million vehicles on the road, depending on which estimate you're going with. So, even if you don't use a vehicle to get around on a regular basis, a plastic addiction may still be causing you to contribute pretty heavily to our growing problem with climate change.

2. Mountains of Plastic

While it would be nice to think that all plastic ends up in a recycling plant once it is done being used, that simply is not true. As has been mentioned, a majority of plastics actually don't end up making it to a recycling facility to be manufactured into a new object. Sadly, 80 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States each year end up in a landfill. That's roughly 38 billion water bottles! The numbers for plastic grocery bags are even worse. Between 0.5 and three percent of plastic bags are recycled, sending an estimated 100 billion plastic bags to landfills in America each year.

With such poor statistics on recycling, it is obvious that the bulk of plastic has to go somewhere once it is discarded. And that somewhere typically ends up being a landfill. According to Zero Waste America, there are 3,091 active landfills in the United States. And while landfills are designed to withhold their materials and seclude them from the surrounding environment, landfills end up leaking a variety of nasty pollutants. Leachate, a liquid that forms as materials break down in a landfill, often leaks through the liners of the landfill and can pollute groundwater below. And greenhouse gases like methane are produced from decaying material inside landfills, leaking into the atmosphere, and furthering climate change. Plus, plastic has a tendency of finding its way out of landfills ... and ends up in local waterways.

3. Oceans of Plastic

You may already be familiar with the fact that there is a lot of plastic pollution in our oceans. Maybe you've seen a plastic bottle washing down a storm drain that would eventually empty into the ocean. And maybe you've seen a plastic shopping bag or two wash up on the sand during your last beach trip. Maybe you're already aware of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where ocean currents have allowed a large swath of the North Pacific to collect a spinning mass of garbage that is largely made up of plastics.

But all of that anecdotal evidence of plastic in our oceans doesn't quite tell you the magnitude of the problem. A recent study released this year has scientists estimating that 8.8 million tons of plastic waste ended up in the ocean in 2010. And with plastic use becoming more and more popular for individuals all over the world, it is estimated this figure will increase 10 times over the next decade. Another recent study released by the 5 Gyres Institute estimates that there are currently 5.25 trillion plastic particles in the ocean. Sources of this waste are wide-ranging including plastic fishing nets, food and beverage containers, microbeads from personal care items, cosmetics, straws, and bags just to name a few.

And who is dumping all of this plastic into our oceans? Well, everybody. Countries with less advanced waste management systems are at risk of contributing more to the pollution. China leads the world in contributing to the plastic problem in our oceans, followed by the likes of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Even though the United States boasts a more advanced waste management system, it does rank 20 th on the list. There is still a dense population on the coast and plastic use in high demand, so there is a lot of available plastic that can slip through the cracks.

4. Marine Animals Eating Plastic

Plastic doesn't just accumulate in the ocean and make for an unsightly mess. It is hurting and killing a great deal of marine life all over the world.

Ingestion of plastic pollution can be downright deadly for marine animals. And sadly, it's a common occurrence. Last summer a necropsy on a deceased sei whale found in the Chesapeake Bay showed the animal had been unable to feed due to a laceration in its stomach caused by a plastic DVD case. In 2013 in Spain, scientists found a dead sperm whale and determined its cause of death was intestinal blockage. In its digestive system were 59 pieces of plastic waste totaling 37 pounds in weight. Sea turtles are now ingesting twice the plastic they were 25 years ago. In total, it is estimated that the ingestion of plastic kills 1 million marine birds and 100,000 marine animals each year.

Sadly, the ingestion of plastic isn't the only threat that this type of pollution poses to marine animals. Plastics can also entangle marine animals, making movement, feeding, and growth difficult or even impossible. Plastic-based ropes, fishing nets, and even soda can holders can get wrapped around heads, flippers, and tails of marine animals. A recent literature report released by NOAA states that roughly 200 different marine species worldwide have been reported suffering entanglements, with 115 of those species reported originating in the United States. And because some species happen to inhabit areas where plastic pollution is more common, a larger portion of their population is more susceptible to entanglements. This fact proves true for species like the Hawaiian monk seal which swim and feed in areas close to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

5. Killin' The Mood For Fish

Plastics in aquatic ecosystems don't just become a problem when they wrap around an animal or end up blocking digestive systems. Plastics can also introduce chemical warfare to the bodies of fish, and scientists are actually finding that it is killing the reproductive health of many fish species.

Included in the chemical cocktail aquatic animals are hit with from pollution is something called " endocrine disruptors." These impact the endocrine system, obviously, which can be detrimental to the immune system, reproductive system, development, neurological responses, and overall growth. Bisphenol A or BPA is found in many plastics entering the ocean and, unfortunately, it acts as an endocrine disruptor for fish. Scientists have observed BPA exposure to some freshwater fish species as a source of confusion for the fish, make it difficult for them to pursue their own species to mate. Clearly, a fish of one species attempting to mate with a fish of another species will not result in reproductive success for either.

Lines between fish species not only become blurred by plastics. This type of pollution is also impacting gender in some fish species as well. Chemicals in plastics are one of several types of pollution that are feminizing male fish. When fish are exposed to chemicals that mimic estrogen during development, their ability to develop into males is thwarted and female characteristics develop instead. There have also been scientific observations in which fish become intersex due to their exposure to BPA, among other pollutants. There have been promising results when water can be treated in a treatment plant that removes some of these chemicals. But the problem of plastic pollution is very widespread and difficult to address on a large scale. Until we can get a handle on it, the reproductive rates of some fish will continue to be at risk.

6. Plastic On Your Plate

If you thought plastic pollution in the environment was not something that could directly impact human health, you were wrong. And, depending on your diet, you may actually be eating a variety of nasty chemicals as the result of plastic pollution.

Fish consume plastics both intentionally and unintentionally. And these plastics, depending on how long they've been floating in the water, may have a variety of chemicals attached to them such as heavy metals, PCB's and other pollutants. Once fish absorb these chemicals from ingested plastic, the chemicals are then free to enter the bodies of anything higher up on the food chain, including humans. While some fish sold in the United States is tested for contaminates by the EPA, the amount of dangerous chemicals in most seafood harvested outside the country is not known. By including fish in your diet, you may be exposing your body to a variety of chemicals you'd never willingly ingest. With the amount of plastics that fish are exposed to in aquatic environments, it really does become a gamble with your own health to rely on fish as a source of nutrients in your diet.

Is it Worth the Convenience?

Even if you're a recycling rockstar when it comes to plastic, you may now be considering whether the convenience of using plastic is actually worth the cost. It may be difficult to avoid plastics in all aspects of life, but surely you can find ways to reduce your dependence on plastic. Since you can't guarantee that everything you toss into the recycling bin will actually end up at a recycling plant, reducing your dependence on plastic is really the way to go.

Luckily for you, One Green Planet is here to help you break free from plastic. Consider these 10 Life Hacks To Help You Get Plastic Out of The Picture. Replace those microbeads with coffee grounds for your exfoliating routine. Plan ahead to buy what you can in bulk without packaging in order to avoid extra plastic. And think about storing your produce in towels as opposed to plastic bags. Tell that plastic to take a hike!

If you're still itching for more, check out these 20 Switches to Get Plastic Out of Your Life. There is a multitude of materials out there to replace your plastic materials- stainless steel, glass, ceramic, bamboo, canvas, etc. The possibilities are limitless!

Kicking plastic to the curb will take some effort. But doesn't it sound like the more convenient choice for the planet?Together, we can take action and
#CrushPlastic once and for all for the sake of marine life - and importantly, us.

Let's #CrushPlastic! Click the graphic below for more information.

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter ! Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
Lead image source: Rich Carey/Shutterstock

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Is it Really Worth the Convenience? 6 Ways Plastic is Harming Animals, the Planet and Us

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Plastic is certainly a superhero when it comes to making life more convenient. It can be made into dishes and eating utensils that you never have to wash. Single-serve beverages and snacks in plastic packaging are an easy grab-and-go option when you're running out the door for work or school.

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Plastic accumulating in our oceans and on our beaches has become a global crisis. Billions of pounds of plastic can be found in swirling convergences that make up about 40 percent of the world's ocean surfaces. At current rates plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050.

Plastics pollution has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife. Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Endangered wildlife like Hawaiian monk seals and Pacific loggerhead sea turtles are among nearly 700 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter.

It's time to get at the root of this ocean crisis. The Center has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to begin regulating plastics as a pollutant and is working to stop plastic pollution at the source, before it ever has a chance to reach the ocean.

THE PLASTIC PROBLEM

We're surrounded by plastic. It's in the single-use packaging we discard, the consumer goods that fill our stores, and in our clothing, which sheds microplastic fibers in the wash.

In the first decade of this century, we made more plastic than all the plastic in history up to the year 2000. And every year, billions of pounds of more plastic end up in the world's oceans. Studies estimate there are now 15-51 trillionpieces of plastic in the world's oceans - from the equator to the poles, from Arctic ice sheets to the sea floor. Not one square mile of surface ocean anywhere on earth is free of plastic pollution.

The problem is growing into a crisis. The fossil fuel industry plans to increase plastic production by 40 percent over the next decade. These oil giants are rapidly building petrochemical plants across the United States to turn fracked gas into plastic. This means more toxic air pollution and plastic in our oceans.

We need urgent action to address the global plastic pollution epidemic.

Unfortunately, plastic is so durable that the EPA reports "every bit of plastic ever made still exists." All five of the Earth's major ocean gyres are inundated with plastic pollution. The largest one has been dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

A HEAVY TOLL ON WILDLIFE

Thousands of animals, from small finches to blue whales, die grisly deaths from eating and getting caught in plastic.

Fish in the North Pacific ingest 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic each year, which can cause intestinal injury and death and transfers plastic up the food chain to bigger fish, marine mammals and human seafood eaters. A recent study found that a quarter of fish at markets in California contained plastic in their guts, mostly in the form of plastic microfibers.

Sea turtles can mistake floating plastic garbage for food. They can choke, sustain internal injury and die - or starve by thinking they're full from eating plastic. Tragically, research indicates that half of sea turtles worldwide have ingested plastic. New studies find plastic pollution is so pervasive on many beaches that its affecting their reproduction.

Hundreds of thousands of seabirds ingest plastic every year. Plastic ingestion reduces the storage volume of the stomach, causing starvation. It's estimated that 60 percent of all seabird species have eaten pieces of plastic, with that number predicted to increase to 99 percent by 2050. Dead seabirds are often found with stomachs full of plastic, reflecting how the amount of garbage in our oceans has rapidly increased in the past 40 years.

Marine mammals ingest, and get tangled up in, plastic. Large amounts of plastic debris have been found in the habitat of critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals, including in areas that serve as pup nurseries. Entanglement in plastic debris has also led to injury and mortality in the endangered Steller sea lion, with packing bands the most common entangling material. Dead whales have been found with bellies full of plastic.

FIGHTING OCEAN PLASTIC POLLUTION

The Center for Biological Diversity is tackling this problem on multiple fronts. We've petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asking the government to regulate plastics as a pollutant under the Clean Water Act and will keep pushing for plastic pollution to be treated as the hazardous waste that it is.

We've sued companies that turn plastic into consumer goods to better control their runoff. We're challenging the permits needed to build those new ethane cracker plants and organizing grassroots resistance to stop them

There's still a lot of work to do, but we're committed to the long struggle to reduce ocean plastic pollution.

Check out our press releases to learn more about the Center's actions for oceans.

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Plastic accumulating in our oceans and on our beaches has become a global crisis, with a direct and deadly effect on wildlife. The Center is working to stop plastic pollution at the source.

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The bottled water industry has grown rapidly over the past few years. Today, the convenience of disposable water bottles means that we can find bottled water almost everywhere we go.

It's no question that plastic bottles (and bottled water) are bad for the environment. Not only do they require a lot of energy to manufacture, but they pollute the environment as well.

This article will highlight the reasons why plastic bottles are so bad for the environment, and explain how you can help solve this problem.

Why are Plastic Bottles (and Bottled Water) bad for the environment?

1. Plastic bottles are not biodegradable

In order to fully understand what this means, it is important to understand the difference between biodegrading and degrading.

Biodegrading is when an object gets broken down (digested) by living organisms. This means that the object can be naturally recycled (by decomposers like bacteria and fungi) into new organic molecules and new life.

On the other hand, degrading is just the process of breaking down into smaller pieces.

Plastic cannot be recycled by living organisms. Instead, a combination of the sun's energy and environmental factors like rain will continue to degrade plastic down into smaller and smaller pieces. These pieces of plastic (also known as microplastics) will always remain on Earth as plastic.

"Microplastic" image courtesy of Oregon State University / CC BY-SA 2.0

With that being said, it can take up to 1000 years for a plastic bottle to degrade. However, plastic bottles do not biodegrade, so they will remain in our environment forever.

When plastic degrades, toxic chemicals in the plastic are released into the environment. Worse yet, any plastic that makes it into the environment will stay in the environment, forever harming wildlife in the future.

2. Production of Plastic Bottles Requires Fossil Fuels

One big problem with plastic, of course, is that its production requires the use of non-renewable fossil fuels.

Plastic bottles are no exception to this. Most plastic bottles are made from a plastic known as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which is produced using oil.

Worse yet, the production of plastic bottles isn't the only time when energy is wasted. In fact, energy is used during the entire lifespan of a plastic bottle: This includes the energy used for transportation, storage, and the final disposal of the bottle.

In the USA, about 76 million barrels of oil are needed to manufacture, transport, store, and dispose of the plastic bottles (for bottled water) used in a single year. That's enough oil to fuel 4.3 million cars for one year!

Worldwide, the energy embedded in our use of bottled water is equivalent to 450 million barrels of oil each year (based on statistics from 2012). That's enough to fuel 25.5 million cars for one year.
Statistic Source
Fossil fuels are non-renewable, and they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. It's no question that they're bad for the environment.

3. The Extraction of Water resources for Bottled Water harms the Environment

Do you ever wonder where the water in bottled water actually comes from?

Well, when water gets extracted to be sold as bottled water, many natural water supplies dry up. This has lots of adverse effects on the environment, and could even affect the livelihood of humans as well.

For example, many bottled water companies extract water in California, which is an area that is prone to large-scale droughts. Obviously, the removal of water resources from an area already prone to drought just makes droughts more likely to occur.

This problem is compounded by the fact that most bottled water gets sold in areas far from the extraction site. This means that local water resources never have the chance to recover through the water cycle, since the extracted water resources are transported elsewhere.

Bottled water companies often extract so much water resources that entire lakes or aquifers (lakes and supplies of groundwater) run dry.

The over-extraction of water resources can change entire habitats and ecosystems, making the area drier and threatening the livelihood of all living things in the area.

4. Creates Plastic Pollution and Harms Marine Ecosystems

Nowadays, plastic bottles can be found littered almost anywhere you go. The sheer number of plastic bottles sold each day means that many of them end up being improperly disposed of.

It is important that we do not underestimate the severity of this problem. Plastic bottles are currently the 5th most commonly found trash item at coastline cleanups (by quantity), making up a sizable portion of the total plastic pollution in oceans.

In fact, most plastic that is littered eventually ends up in the ocean. Even plastic on land, far from an ocean, eventually gets blown or washed (by rain) into a body of water. The plastic then moves with drainage networks or rivers and eventually flows into the ocean.

So, why exactly is plastic pollution so bad for the environment?

Animals like birds or fish can mistake plastic in the ocean for food. In addition, because plastic can come in sizes large or small, even the smallest organisms like plankton could be affected.

An albatross chick with a stomach full of plastic

When an animal consumes enough plastic, their digestive systems could get clogged up, eventually starving them to death. Sometimes, the uneven shape of plastic pieces could even choke animals, like sea turtles, to death.

What's worse? Once plastic is ingested by an organism, it can move up along the food chain. When predators eat prey with plastic in their systems, the plastic gets passed along into the next animal in the food chain.

For example, let's say that a school of fish accidentally ingests microplastics that were present in ocean water. When a predator like a shark eats those fish, the microplastics are passed on by the fish and accumulate in the body of the shark.

In the North Pacific alone, an estimated 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic end up in fish each year. Over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 (one hundred thousand) mammals die from ingesting plastic yearly.

Seafood with plastic or toxic chemicals in their bodies could be passed along to humans as well. Microplastics, too small for us to see, could be present in the fish that we eat!

Plastic ingestion could cause a large number of long-term negative consequences. If we continue to trash our oceans, the plastics we use and toss could come back and bite us in the back.

How you can help solve this problem:

1. Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Of course, the easiest way to solve our plastic problem is to simply stop using single-use plastics like plastic bottles. This, in turn, means reducing our consumption of bottled water.

One way to reduce our usage of bottled water is to use a reusable water bottle. Instead of buying packages of bottled water, you can buy a single reusable bottle to reuse over and over again. This not only helps save the environment, but also helps save money in the long run.

If you don't have anywhere to fill your water bottle, you can try using a water filter to filter your tap water (and make it clean). However, in most parts of the US and Canada, tap water is completely safe to drink.

You can check the quality of your tap water by searching on Google for " City Nametap water quality report."

2. Dispose of Plastic Bottles Properly: DO NOT LITTER

If you are unable to get a reusable water bottle (for whatever reason), or if you forget it once in a while, make sure that you dispose of plastic bottles properly.

After drinking bottled water, make sure that the leftover plastic bottle goes into the recycling bin. If there isn't a recycling bin, throw it in the trash can.

Whatever you do, DO NOT litter! Even one plastic bottle can harm the environment!

3. Spread Awareness and Tell Your Friends!

Another way to help with our plastic problem is to spread awareness about the issue. The more people who reduce their usage of single-use plastic, the better!

Feel free to share this article to spread the message and raise awareness for our bottled water issue. You can share this post on social media using the share buttons below.

Or you can just tell people about the issue in person! Together, we can tackle this global plastic problem.

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Environmental Impact of Plastic Bottles & Bottled Water (Facts)

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The bottled water industry has grown rapidly over the past few years. Today, the convenience of disposable water bottles means that we can find bottled water almost everywhere we go. It's no question that plastic bottles (and bottled water) are bad for the environment. Not only do they require a lot of energy to manufacture, [...]

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Plastic water bottle pollution is worse than you think.

Here are 15 ways plastic water bottles are destroying our environment.

How bad is bad when it comes to plastic water bottle pollution?

Pretty bad. Americans buy 29 billion water bottles a year. For every six bottles people buy, only one is recycled. That leads to a big problem given the fact that water bottles do not biodegrade, but rather photodegrade. This means that it takes at least up to 1,000 years for every single bottle to decompose, leaking pollutants into our soil and water along the way. Yuck! View 30 Photos That Will Help You Appreciate Your Tap and Toilet.

As a result, U.S. landfills are overflowing with 2 million tons of discarded water bottles. And because plastics are produced with fossil fuels, not only does that make them an environmental hazard, but also an enormous waste of valuable resources.

Here are just 15 of the most dangerous ways bottled water is polluting the earth, one bottle of water at a time, as well as six things you can do about plastic water bottle pollution.

Quick Tip: Stop adding plastic to landfills today by purchasing a refillable water bottle. Learn the pros and cons of every reusable water bottle type in our free, definitive guide.
Get the guide: How to Choose the Best Water Bottle

15 ways plastic water bottle pollution is destroying the planet

Plastic water bottle production

Americans consume more than 25 percent of the planet's natural resources. The production of bottled water uses 17 million barrels of oil a year.

1. It takes 3 times the amount of water in a bottle of water to make it as it does to fill it.

2. Plastic water bottles are made from a petroleum product called polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which requires giant amounts of fossil fuels to make and transport.

3. The production of bottled water uses 17 million barrels of oil a year. That's slightly more than it would take to fill one million cars a year with fuel.

4. It takes almost 2,000 times the energy to manufacture a bottle of water than it does to produce tap water.

5. If you fill a plastic water bottle so it is about 25% full, that's about how much oil it took to make the bottle.

Plastic water bottle consumption

People in the U.S. open 1,000 bottles of water every second and put 60 million plastic water bottles in the trash each year.

1. Every single second, 1,000 people open a bottle of water in the U.S.

2. Each day, people in the U.S. throw away more than 60 million plastic water bottles, most of which end up in landfills or as litter in America's streets, parks and waterways.

3. Americans throw away 35 billion empty water bottles a year. Of those, only 12 percent are recycled.

4. Out of everything we put in our recycle bins at home, approximately 50 percent of it is never recycled.

5. Every person in America drinks an average of more than 30 gallons of bottled water a year. That means it takes 90 gallons of water just for one person to drink bottled water. In a world where 783 million people don't have access to clean drinking water, that's half of what one person would need for the entire year.

6. Although the U.S. comprises less than 5 percent of the world's population, we consume more than 25 percent of natural resources and produce 30 percent of the trash and pollutants. Plastic constitutes 90 percent of all of the trash floating on the ocean's surface - approximately 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile.

7. Each week, it takes 40,000 18-wheeler trucks on our roads just to deliver our bottled water.

8. Americans drink more bottled water than milk or beer a year, and bottled water consumption increases by 10 percent each year.

Plastic water bottles in landfills

80 percent of plastic water bottles end up in landfills. It takes up to 1,000 years for every single bottle to decompose.

1. 80 percent of the plastic water bottles we buy end up in landfills.

2. U.S. landfills are overflowing with more than 2 million tons of discarded water bottles.

3. It takes up to 1,000 years for every single bottle of water to decompose. Each bottle leaks harmful chemicals into our environment along the way as it decomposes.

4. Studies show that the toxins decomposing bottles of water leach into our environment cause a variety of health issues, including reproductive problems and cancer.

Here's what you can do about plastic water bottle pollution

Toss your plastic bottled water habit for good! A cultural shift can change the way plastic water bottles affect our environment.

Break your bottled water habit by filling your cabinet with 100% BPA-free, stainless steel water bottles that will not only help you improve the health of the environment, but will also be safer and better for your own health as well.

Ditch the habit: Make sure to stock your home with plenty of reusable stainless steel water bottles that will improve the environment and your health.

Purchase a water filter: Purchase a water filter to keep in your refrigerator and use it every morning to refill your reusable water bottles for the day.

Raise awareness: Tell your friends and family about the impact bottled water is having on our environment. Encourage your workplace to ban plastic water bottles, and educate your children about the positive impact they have on the environment when they use reusable stainless steel bottles.

Find alternatives: It's not just plastic water bottles that are causing environmental harm. Try to find household items, such as soap and cleaning supplies that are in environmentally-friendly packaging.

Recycle: When you do use a plastic bottle, make sure that you recycle it. When you see an empty, used water bottle sitting on the street or in a park, pick it up and recycle it.

Use water fountains: Ask your local representative if your county can install more water fountains so people in your community can refill reusable bottles more easily.

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Plastic Water Bottle Pollution: Where do all the Bottles End Up?

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How bad is bad when it comes to plastic water bottle pollution? Pretty bad. Americans buy 29 billion water bottles a year. For every six bottles people buy, only one is recycled. That leads to a big problem given the fact that it takes at least up to 1,000 years for every single bottle to decompose, leaking pollutants into our soil and water along the way.

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The problem with plastic pollution - National Geographic Kids

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Learn all about plastic pollution. How much plastic is in the ocean? Why is plastic pollution dangerous? What can we do to reduce it?

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A sea turtle swims through the water and spots a white blob floating near the surface. "Yum!" it thinks. "A jellyfish!" Chasing after its dinner, the turtle swallows the item. But the floating blob isn't a jelly-it's a plastic bag that could make the sea turtle sick.

This sea creature isn't alone: Over 700 species of marine animals have been reported to have eaten or been entangled in plastic. Scientists think that the amount of plastic in the ocean might triple by 2050-and that would mean seriously bad news for the ocean and the creatures that live there. But by understanding the issue and taking action, you can help stop that from happening.

What's the problem with plastic?

First, let's get real: Not all plastic is bad. Bike helmets, car airbags, and many medical supplies made with plastic save lives. Plastic water bottles can bring clean drinking water to people who don't have it, and plastic straws can help people with disabilities drink.

The problem is that most of us use and then toss way more plastic than we need: things like grocery bags, drink bottles, straws, food wrappers, and plastic packaging around toys. This kind of plastic that's used only once before being thrown away is called single-use plastic, and it makes up more than 40 percent of all plastic trash.

Where does the plastic go?

That's a lot of trash. Scientists think that 8.8 million tons of plastic winds up in the ocean every year-that's as if you stacked up five plastic grocery bags full of trash on top of each other on every foot of coastline in the world.

How does it get into the sea? Plastic left on the ground as litter often blows into creeks and rivers, eventually ending up in the ocean. And because plastic trash is different from other types of waste-it doesn't decompose back into nature like an apple core or a piece of paper-it stays in the ocean forever. That means discarded fishing nets and six-pack rings can entangle animals; harmful straws and grocery bags can be mistaken as food.

What can we do about it?

You can do so much to help keep Earth clean! You can look at how much single-use plastic your family uses by filling out a plastic journal for a week-then talking about what you can do to use less. Need ideas? Check out these quick tips to reduce your plastic waste. By working together, our choices can help save animals-and the ocean they live in.

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Plastics - How can plastics affect my health?

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Plastics - How can plastics affect my health?

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Kids Environment Kids Health - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Plastics play a major role in the modern era. We microwave our food in plastic containers. We carry plastic water bottles on hikes and biking trips. We use them to make all kinds of things — from furniture to toys. They offer convenience, flexibility, and strength. The bad news is that they can rele…

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Would Banning Plastic Bottles Help or Hurt the Planet?

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Water Bottles...Handy or Harmful?

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Advantages of Bottled Water

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What Are Some Advantages of Bottled Water?

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While some people might argue that it’s silly to spend money on something you can get for…

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Bottled Water Use During Times of Emergency

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Clean, safe water is a critical need for citizens and first responders immediately following a natural disaster or other catastrophic event.

Unfortunately, the availability of water from public water systems is often compromised in the aftermath of such an event. During these times, bottled water is the best option to deliver clean, safe drinking water quickly into affected areas.

The bottled water industry has always been at the forefront of relief efforts during natural disasters and other catastrophic events. Throughout the years, bottled water companies have immediately responded to the need for clean water after natural disasters, such as 2011's devastating storms in the Southeast and Midwest and record flooding in the Northeast; Hurricanes Andrew, Charlie, and Katrina; earthquakes; forest fires in the West; or the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center in 2001.

Working together, we determine the quickest and most effective way to deliver safe bottled water into affected areas to augment other relief efforts. Bottled water companies also work with municipal water systems to provide the public with clean, safe bottled water when the public drinking water infrastructure is compromised or when the water does not meet state and federal health standards.

The efforts of the industry to provide crucial drinking water to citizens afflicted by disasters are contingent on a viable commercial market. The commercial market provides them with the capital and resources to respond when needed.

The industry cannot exist only for disaster response as some industry critics would have people believe. The need for such philanthropic efforts can only be seen when people need it the most. To discourage the use of bottled water or question the safety of bottled water does a disservice to an industry that is called upon every year to provide much needed drinking water.

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Emergency Response - Bottled Water | IBWA | Bottled Water

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Clean, safe water is a critical need for citizens and first responders immediately following a natural disaster or other catastrophic event. Unfortunately, the availability of water from public water systems is often compromised in the aftermath of such an event. During these times, bottled water is the best option to deliver clean, safe drinking water quickly into affected areas.

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Disposable plastic water bottles are a convenient way to stay hydrated, but they have major consequences on the health of our planet-not to mention the people who drink from them. The production and disposal of bottled water negatively impacts the Earth's resources, the size of our landfills, and even the level of water pollution in the fluids you drink every day. The statistics and other details below explore that impact in more detail, including how reusable water bottles act as a strongly preferable alternative. Be sure to share the full infographic at the bottom of this page to spread the word about the dangers of disposable containers.

Bottled Water Facts & Statistics

If you use disposable water bottles, here are some important concerns you should know about how they're made as well as the problems they cause for the planet, your health, and your wallet.

Industrial Production

Some of disposable water bottles' most harmful effects occur before they actually exist-while they're still being made. They require a significant amount of resources to produce, and the byproducts can be dire.

It takes 17 million barrels of oil to make one year's supply of bottled water. That much oil could fuel 1.3 million cars for a year or power 190,000 homes!

Bottling water releases 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.

Effects on the Environment

Bottled water creates serious danger when it comes to the size of our landfills, as well as the conservation of our water resources and marine life. Read on to learn more about the harmful effects of bottled water on the environment.

Health Risks & Concerns

Bottled water isn't just bad for the health of our planet-it has a detrimental effect on our own bodies. Water bottles contain chemicals like BPA and antimony that can cause reproductive issues, asthma and dizziness. Studies even suggest a possible risk of breast cancer.

Bottled water is tested for microbes and other water pollution four times less than tap water.

Water Costs

Water packaged in disposable bottles is shockingly expensive when compared to other sources of drinkable water. For the recommended amount of eight glasses of water a day, bottled water costs:

Infographic - Bottled Water Facts

Reusable Water Bottle Facts & Statistics

Fortunately, reusable water bottles offer a wide range of advantages in terms of both environmental impact and promoting your business.

Environmental Benefits

Reusable bottles are a safe, less wasteful and ultimately more cost-effective alternative to disposable ones. Using reusable bottles allows you to:

In addition to avoiding eco-hazards, reusable bottles:

Business Perks

Like other promotional products, custom water bottles are highly effective at increasing brand awareness and setting you apart from competitors in your industry.

Choosing a Sustainable Water Bottle

Before you decide on the best reusable water bottle for your business, it's best to ask yourself these questions:

Who will use it?

Where will they use it?

How much water does it need to hold?

How quickly do they need to access the water?

Does the water need to stay insulated?

Pros and Cons by Type

Once you have a better idea of the purposes you need to fulfill and the benefits of using reusable water bottles, you can start to look at the advantages and disadvantages that each bottle material offers.

Conclusion

None of this is to say that you should never drink bottled water from a disposable container. It can be handy in a pinch, but its long-term negative side effects are dire-and it also can't be used to promote a business as simply as reusable promotional bottles can. When you look at the pros and cons of each type of container, there's simply no good reason not to switch to eco-friendly reusable bottles.

To inform others about these facts and tips, embed or share the full infographic below.

Works Cited

National Geographic - Why Tap Water is Better Than Bottled Water
New York Times - Canada Likely to Label Plastic Ingredient 'Toxic'
ABC News - Study: Bottled Water No Safer Than Tap Water
Everyday Feminism - 5 Reasons to Break Your Plastic Water Bottle Habit (Yes, Even if You Recycle!)
The Water Project - Making a Clear Choice
Ban the Bottle - Bottled Water Facts
One Green Planet - Is it Really Worth the Convenience? 6 Ways Plastic is Harming Animals, the Planet and Us
Pacific Institute - Bottled Water and Energy Fact Sheet

Take Action

To fight back against the environmental hazards of disposable plastic bottles, visit the Plastic Pollution Coalition for more info. You can also get involved with the International Coastal Cleanup to help keep our beaches and oceans clear of dangerous waste.

Do you have other helpful resources related to finding a more eco-friendly alternative to disposable bottles? Share them in the comments below!

Posted in Marketing, Promotional Marketing

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Why You Need to Ditch Bottled Water This Earth Day

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Disposable plastic water bottles are a convenient way to stay hydrated, but they have major consequences on the health of our planet-not to mention the people who drink from them. The production and disposal of bottled water negatively impacts the Earth's resources, the size of our landfills, and even the level of water pollution in the fluids you drink every day.

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Why Tap Water Is Better Than Bottled Water

Bottled water is not typically safer than tap water. In fact, more than half of all bottled water comes from the tap.

Buying bottled water is like pouring money down the drain. Bottled water costs from $0.89 per gallon to $8.26 per gallon, compared to fractions of a penny for water from your tap. That makes bottled water thousands of times more expensive than tap water.

Water bottle garbage is a major source of pollution.

Buying a reusable bottle is an easy way to save money and help the environment.

Is My Tap Water Safe?
FACT: Bottled water is not "safer" than tap water.
Did you know that tap water is tested more frequently than bottled water? In fact, in the United States, our drinking water is continuously monitored and treated according to federal standards. If local tap water is unsafe then water companies are obligated, under federal law, to notify the public.

But My Tap Water Tastes Bad, What Should I Do?

How To Check Your Tap Water Quality

Contact your local water company to request a copy of the Annual Water Quality Report, also known as the Consumer Confidence Report. These reports are intended to help people make informed choices about their drinking water.

These reports contain a lot of useful information but are often overwhelming or confusing to read. We've put together a helpful guide on how to read your report and choose the best filtration system for your home.

Bottled Water Is Nearly 2,000 The Price of Tap Water

1. A gallon's worth of single-serve bottled water costs almost $9.50 - nearly 2,000 times the price of tap water, three times the national average price for a gallon of milk and four times the national average price for a gallon of regular grade gasoline.

2. From 2011 to 2016, the bottled water market grew 39 percent by volume, from 9.2 to 12.8 billion gallons, while the soft drink market shrank 8 percent in volume.

3. In 2016, 4 billion pounds of plastic was used in U.S. bottled water production, requiring an estimated energy input equivalent of about 64 million barrels of oil.

4. The International Bottled Water Association, Nestlé Waters NA, Nestlé USA and Coca-Cola lobbied Congress on issues including bottled water, water infrastructure, California drought relief and a National Park Service policy to allow parks to ban bottled water sales. These companies' lobbying expenditures between 2014 and 2016 topped $28 million.

5. Multinational bottling companies benefit from public disinvestment in water infrastructure, as the chairman of Nestlé Waters stated in 2009: "We believe tap infrastructure in the U.S. will continue to decline.... People will turn to filtration and bottled water for pure water needs."

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Bottled water is not typically safer than tap water. In fact, more than half of all bottled water comes from the tap. Buying bottled water is like pouring money down the drain. Bottled water costs from $0.89 per gallon to $8.26 per gallon, compared to fractions of a penny for water from your tap.