Youre dashing around between ballet class, soccer practice, grocery shopping, and running to Post Office. Within the backseat, your children complain theyre thirsty. Without hesitation, you reach into the glove compartment box, grab some bottled water, and paw it return to your children. If this sounds like you, youre not alone. As most moms know, there exists many of good reasons for drinking bottled water.
As Tanya, a New Jersey mom of two, says, Bottled h2o is convenient. Time and convenience are valuable. She also drinks bottled h2o for well-being reasons. Shes allergic to fluoride, which rules out tap water. And for her kids? When provided the decision between grabbing a sip container and grabbing bottled water, Tanya says, Id rather grab the water.
H2o is healthier than sugary children drinks, and bottles shall be recycled. So bottled h2o is good for you and your kidsRight? The environment and glass h2o bottles Regarding to Container Recycling Institute CRI, each day Americans sip higher than 70 million bottles of water. This may not be a large deal if all those bottles were recycled, but regarding to Congress, 30,000,000 bottles a year end up in USA landfills. Its hard to have knowledge of how long it takes those bottles to biodegrade. Modest estimates speak it takes 50 to 450 years, depending upon conditions.
Other sources claim thousands - even millions - of years. Most glass bottles are recyclable, though, so whats the problem? Many people, like Liberty, an unique and busy mom from Kansas, ponder recycling centers are the problem. It should be better if more spots recycled glass bottles, she says. But this may not be the heart regarding the matter. Regarding to State of California, every day about 4 million empty h2o bottles end up within the garbage, despite the fact that recycling centers accept them and they can be worth $26 million in unclaimed California Refund Price CRV deposits.
Some bottling companies, like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have promised to use recycled bottles to make new ones, but they shall need to break those promises. CRI says only 4% of glass bottles are used to make new bottles - in component due to the fact that new bottles from recycled ones take more life to make than those created from virgin materials. Another issue with glass bottles is the no. of oil used to make them. Pacific Studies Institute says it takes 17 million barrels to make h2o bottles for Americans - plus more oil to transport them.
They speak this oil should fuel over a million cars for one year. Tap H2o Alternatives? So whats a mom to do? Many Americans turn to tap water, and most experts speak this is a good option. Many of moms filter their tap water, and look secure in knowing their family is consuming something healthy. But how do you take tap h2o with you? Niki, an Oregonian mom of three, gives an usual answer, I dont consume bottled h2o due to the fact that its a waste of plastic. I use one hobbies bottle of tap h2o for working out and refill it each time.
I dont like throwing distant unnecessary products when there exists perfectly good alternatives. Yet experts claim this isnt a good idea. The Environmental Working Team says tap h2o in 42 states contains 141 unregulated contaminants that have no well-being standards. Many of these contaminants not ever get removed with pantry filters. And who isnt shocked to read Erin Brockovich created well-known by the Julia Roberts movie about a spunky woman who fights a large business thats contaminating regional h2o supplies is still finding contaminated h2o within the USA? Reusable bottles can pose risks, too Some claim glass bottles pose well-being risks, too.
When you leave glass bottles in a warm location like the car or a shipping yard they shall leach chemicals linked to cancer in adults and poor brain function in babies and babies. Consequently the Local Toxicology Program component regarding the Local Institutes of Well-being isnt willing to speak this is a primary problem, they recently reported there is some concern about it. Note that the likely grades of concern, from lowest to highest, are negligible concern, minimal concern, some concern, concern, and serious concern. Keith Christman, director of wrapping at American Chemistry Council, also says, the similar to goes for exposing an reveal h2o bottle to room heat for too long. You need to treat it as an opened food product containerbacteria can grow in warm conditions.
And unless bottles are thoroughly sanitized between uses, youre probably exposing your family to undesirable bacteria. H2o in a container Frustrating, isnt it? There is another alternative, though. Its called h2o in a box. The manufacturers of this product claim that for every 5,000 5 liter containers of their IceBox h2o consumed, 25,000 glass h2o bottles are replaced, 1,396 pounds of glass are removed from the manufacturing process, and 474 gallons of oil are not used. The wrapping is 100% recyclable cardboard from sustainable forests; it quickly biodegrades into compost thats good for the soil.
Its even printed with fruit dyes. To stay away from problems with bacteria, IceBox h2o has an one of a kind spout created from Polyethylene the similar to fabric used for IV bags. Regarding to manufacturer, these use a fraction regarding the oil used for glass h2o bottles. Too, due to the fact that of this spout, they claim the h2o stays new indefinitely. The spouts one-way valve doesnt let contamination to enter the box, even subsequent to its been opened.
One does wonder howcome nobody thought of this before. It seems to make very many more sense than creating use of glass bottles. But the real trick may be finding the product. The manufacturer lists retailers on its website, and some are fairly widely available, but others are not. Still, this mom thinks its worth the effort to seek them out.