In yesterday’s post about the EZH2O water dispenser from Elkay comes the following facts about drinking water.
- According to Food & Water Watch, more than 17 million barrels of oil — enough to fuel one million cars for a year– are needed to produce the plastic water bottles sold in the United States annually. – August 2009, Washington Post, “Bottled Water Boom Appears Tapped Out”
- Americans went through about 50 billion plastic water bottles in 2006. The recycling rate for PET is only 23%, which means 38 billion water bottles go into landfills each year–more than $1 billion worth of plastic. – July 2007, FastCompany Magazine, “Message in a Bottle”
- The recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates equals about $.49 per year; that same amount of bottled water is about $1,400. – June 2009, Banthebottle.com, “9 Ways To Reduce Plastic Bottle Waste At Your Workplace”
- There are fewer regulations regarding bottled water than tap, according to the New York Times. And there are many claims that plastic bottles leach small amounts of chemicals such as antimony. – September 2009, San Jose Mercury News, “6 Reasons to Ditch that Plastic Bottle”
Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
