Bottled water is frequently seen in offices, residences, and even on store shelves and vending machines. Although it is accessible and convenient, is the price tag justified? When they could just drink tap water for free, many individuals ask if buying bottled water is just a waste of money. Do you think buying bottled water is a waste of money?
Let’s start by looking at the price. The cost of bottled water might vary based on the retailer, size, and brand. A small (16.9 oz) bottle of water typically costs about $1.50. Although it may not seem like much, given that tap water is virtually free, the cost may build up very fast. If a family of four drank one bottle of water every day, they would spend more than $2,000 on bottled water annually. That is a considerable sum of money that could be used to purchase other necessities.
But what about the water’s quality? Because they think bottled water is safer and better quality than tap water, many individuals prefer to consume it. This is not usually the case, though. In actuality, bottled water is exempt from some of the stringent rules that apply to tap water. Tap water is governed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), while bottled water is governed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While the FDA only mandates testing for certain chemicals at predetermined times, the EPA mandates routine tap water contamination testing. Furthermore, according to some research, bottled water can possibly be contaminated with more toxins than tap water.
The environmental effects of bottled water are another problem. Many plastic bottles end up in landfills and the oceans because they take hundreds of years to degrade. In actuality, approximately 50 billion plastic water bottles are used annually in the United States alone, and only a small portion of those bottles get recycled. This has a serious negative effect on the environment and fuels the catastrophe of global plastic pollution.
In conclusion, buying bottled water is not only a waste of money, but it also harms the environment and may not be much better than tap water in terms of quality. Even though it can be practical, it’s necessary to take the cost and environmental impact into account. An alternative that can save money and lessen plastic waste is buying a reusable water bottle and drinking tap water.