Should I drink bottled water or use a reusable bottle?

[Evo]

In light of the amount of waste caused by the bottled water fad, do you drink bottled water, and if so, why? Would you prefer to use a reusable bottle that you can fill from the tap? Multiple choices are allowed.

Aquafina labels to spell out source - tap water

Critics charge the bottled water industry adds plastic to landfills, uses too much energy by producing and shipping bottles across the world and undermines confidence in the safety and cleanliness of public water supplies

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070726/hl_nm/pepsico_aquafina_dc

 

[Moridin]

I do, but I try not to. It is not just the environmental impact from buying bottled water. There have been some concerns about level of control for bacteria and other contaminations as well.

 

[Doc Al]

Would you prefer to use a reusable bottle that you can fill from the tap?

That's exactly what I do. I only use a bottle when I'm on the road, and I reuse it until it's too disgusting even for me. (I just hope the xenoestrogens leaching from the plastic don't turn me into a woman! I need to find a big enough non-plastic thermos that I can reuse indefinitely.)

(Penn & Teller had a hilarious episode of Bullsh!t making fun of bottled water.)

 

[CompuChip]

I always drink tap water, except when abroad and I don't trust the water quality in that country. When away I usually take a bottle with me, sometimes with bottled water, but mostly just filled from the tap :)
So I guess it would be option 1 and 3 and 4?

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

I do if I am out and want something to drink(maybe 7 bottles a week). I prefer water over pop so. I buy the cheapest stuff possible (39c) and I know it is just tap water. I recycle the bottle.

It is 100% convenience motivated, we have great tap water over here.

 

[Evo]

That's exactly what I do. I only use a bottle when I'm on the road, and I reuse it until it's too disgusting even for me. (I just hope the xenoestrogens leaching from the plastic don't turn me into a woman! I need to find a big enough non-plastic thermos that I can reuse indefinitely.)

(Penn & Teller had a hilarious episode of Bullsh!t making fun of bottled water.)

When the girls were little, they had cool little plastic thermoses that were the same circumference of a bottle of water and they had a shoulder strap.

 

[Kurdt]

I drink bottled water only when I'm in places where the tap water is not safe enough to drink and on long journeys. Otherwise I drink tap water.

 

[Evo]

I remember in Paris being told not to drink the tap water, and as far back as I can remember everyone drank bottled water, Evian, Perrier, Vichy (tastes like sulphur and it's considered good for upset stomachs).

I don't know if water quality in Paris is still an issue.

 

[George Jones]

I have moved around quite a bit, and I usually drink tap water. I have lived two places, however, where I didn't/don't drink tap water - the U.S. Virgin Islands and here in Saint John.

Here, few people drink tap water ; if you lived here, I don't think you would.

In my area at work, everyone drinks from a water cooler that uses 18.5 litre bottles of spring water. People fill up their personal water bottles from the water cooler. Even the water I boil to make my tea comes the water cooler - tea made from the tap here gives me heartburn.

At home, my wife and I used to buy 4 litre (about 1 gallon) bottles, but we recently switch to two 10 litre bottles that we refill at the supermarket. This water is filtered by reverse osmosis and other methods.

Edit: fill up a 4 litre bottlle with Saint John tap water to see that the water is not clear - it has a slight brownish colour.

 

[turbo]

We have a nice well, and we use refillable Rubbermaid water bottles. Just fill 'em half-way and stick them in the freezer until you want a bottle of water to take out to do yard-work, or to take to bed, etc. That block of ice in the bottom keeps the water cool a long time. In our last place in-town, the water tasted mucky, with too much chlorine, so I installed a two-stage cannister filter under the kitchen sink with its own little spigot on the corner of the sink for drinking water/cooking water.

Bottled water is a rip-off. Poland Springs and other bottlers have approached several Maine towns that have wonderful aquifers, looking to drill wells. The smart ones say "take a hike". If your town's aquifer provides clean fresh water for domestic use, what is the incentive to let some big commercial interest tap into it, possibly causing capacity problems down the road?

 

[Astronuc]

My wife prefers bottled water in small bottles (PT) and we buy it in gallon (polyethylene) containers for cooking and drinking. Empty bottles are sent to a recycling center. We recently got a municipal line along our street, and we just have to pay to hook up to the line.

Our well water has had traces of Ni, Cd, Fe and Mn, since our property sits astride a large iron/manganese ore deposit. Our area used to have iron ore mining, iron and steel making, and foundries up through the early 1900's.

I'll drink water from the tap or backyard hose.

 

[Monique]

I only drink tap water, either fresh if I'm really thirsty or boiled with tea/coffee. My bf exclusively drinks bottled water, because it *tastes* better. I tried to convert him to filtered water, which worked for about a year, but now he's back to bottles again. I'm not only concerned about the landfills, but also my house.. the other day I fished about 30 of those bottles from underneath the bed I think one of those filters that fits to your faucet should be a good solution, I should look around for one of those.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I don't drink water unless it's mixed with something else.

 

[turbo]

Monique, those are low-capacity filters with cartridges that are expensive to replace. They are also not as good at cleaning your water as a multiple-stage filter with LOTS of surface area. If you go to a plumbing or home-improvement business, you should be able to buy a two-stage filter that takes standard-sized filters. My replacement filters were fiber-wrapped around a core of activated charcoal. Buy a filter kit that includes a dedicated tap with a spring-loaded handle. This way, you only have to filter the water you drink or cook with or make ice from and the filters will last a very long time. If you have a space 12" wide by 18" high by 6" deep under your kitchen counter where the filters can be wall-mounted out of the way, You're all set.

Ours was retailed by Sears, but it was very similar to this:

http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/Undercounter_Water_Filter_Double_p/ucd.htm

 

[Monique]

Whoa, that thing looks really cool. I don't know what our landlord would think when we install such a thing in the sink, but I'll look into it. It will save me a lot of energy, not having to carry all that water home from the supermarket

 

[turbo]

Whoa, that thing looks really cool. I don't know what our landlord would think when we install such a thing in the sink, but I'll look into it. It will save me a lot of energy, not having to carry all that water home from the supermarket

Around here, you can get these entire kits for under $150 and these large filters will last at least a year with only two people using them (closer to two, IIR). That is a huge savings over the cost of bottled water, and it helps keep a lot of plastic out of circulation. Recycling is great when you HAVE to use plastic, but we must recognize that sorting, remelting, and molding/extruding these materials into new products uses a LOT of energy, and the production of plastic is a great load on the oil-usages of our respective countries.

Edit: The water in our previous house was really bad - one of the worst-tasting municipal supplies I've experienced (short of the sulfur-saturated groundwater of the deep South), and after going through two combination particulate/activated charcoal filters that water was great. If you oxygenated it by shaking it up in a half-full container, it had a better flavor than any bottled water I've ever had.

 

[matthyaouw]

I only drink bottled water if I'm away from home and didn't think I'd need a drink. If I'm cycling or walking I fill a bottle with tap water. Honest to god can't tell the difference between tap & bottled.

 

[Moonbear]

I usually just drink tap water. The only times I drink bottled water are when I'm traveling and just need to stop for water, or need to put the water bottle into a backpack or something like that, because then I don't need to worry about it leaking (I have bad luck with bottles meant to be reusable). But, once I've had water from a bottle, I'll reuse the bottle several times, refilling with tap water for keeping water on my nightstand, or taking it with me to the farm where the tap water is awful. When I've been traveling and drinking a lot of bottled water, I notice the difference with tap water, mostly just the chlorine in tap water. The water here isn't too bad, so I don't bother filtering it, but I have lived places where it's pretty heavily chlorinated, and then I would just filter it.

 

[Monique]

I only drink bottled water if I'm away from home and didn't think I'd need a drink. If I'm cycling or walking I fill a bottle with tap water. Honest to god can't tell the difference between tap & bottled.

Bottled water usually has salts in them that make them taste distinct. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, since water is pretty much tasteless (in Amsterdam it is). As I said, not according to my bf. I tried to trick him several times by supplying him with tap instead of bottled water, expecting that I'd be able to say: "see! just as good!" well, didn't work.. with the first sip: "hey, did you get this from the tap?"

 

[turbo]

Bottled water usually has salts in them that make them taste distinct. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, since water is pretty much tasteless (in Amsterdam it is). As I said, not according to my bf. I tried to trick him several times by supplying him with tap instead of bottled water, expecting that I'd be able to say: "see! just as good!" well, didn't work.. with the first sip: "hey, did you get this from the tap?"

The bottled waters commonly available in the US are quite bland, unless you shop at stores that carry European water, which is horrendously expensive here. You could add salts to the filtered water, though I wouldn't use more than a touch of magnesium sulfate unless your apartment has two bathrooms.

 

[BobG]

I drink tap water as a general rule and use refillable bottles to take water with me on hikes, etc. Colorado Springs has very good water and it would be silly to buy bottled water (some people still do, though).

The only exception is that I use water from the water cooler at work. The tap water at work is supposed to be safe, but has a strange taste to it.

I only drank bottled water when I was in Sicily, as well. Their water was very bad. I didn't even use tap water to make coffee.

 

[Lisa!]

I drink tab watter as well! Tried to drink bottled watter for awhile but then I quit it very soon!

Bottled water usually has salts in them that make them taste distinct. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, since water is pretty much tasteless (in Amsterdam it is). As I said, not according to my bf. I tried to trick him several times by supplying him with tap instead of bottled water, expecting that I'd be able to say: "see! just as good!" well, didn't work.. with the first sip: "hey, did you get this from the tap?"

hmmm...these methods are not going to work on guys! You should force them to do what you want.

 

[Mk]

guys! You should force them to do what you want.

Erm, what again are those ropes for, mistress?

 

[gravenewworld]

If you have ever had Fiji water it DEFINITELY tastes different than just regular water. It tastes sooooo much better. but other than that I just drink tap.

 

[scorpa]

I just heard on the news tonight that a lot of bottled waters are just tap water in a bottle. The ones they mentioned specifically were Dasani and Aquafina. Personally I don't buy it unless I am going camping or something but usually I avoid it by reusing old containers. For school I have a nice nalgene water bottle I won during my first year of school at orientation that I freeze a quarter full with ice every night and fill the rest with tap water in the morning so I always have nice cold water during the day :)

 

[chaoseverlasting]

We use an aquaguard system to treat the tap water before use. You just CANT drink tap water here. You might get a whole host of diseases.

 

[radou]

The quality of tap water in Croatia is great, and we were never forced to drink bottled water, unless when somewhere away from home. I usually use my bicycle bottle then.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

In the UK buying bottled water is considered a mark of pretension, unless there is absolutely no other means of getting water , like in the floods atm, where it's useful to relieve beleagured water storage facilities.

Absolutely not, that would make me a class traitor

England has the cleanest water in Europe. In fact it exceeds the standards of bottled water.

 

[arildno]

No, Schrodinger!
Norwegian water is best.
Clean, fresh surface water, not that ground water other nations have to use..

 

[Kurdt]

Cool a war about whose water is the best.

 

[arildno]

Cool a war about whose water is the best.

I'll throw a glacier at you if you don't keep quiet right now.
We have lots to spare..

 

[Kurdt]

Mmm glacier fresh.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

OK I'm bored I'll bite

You mean fresh from a mountain spring? I don't know, I would challenge that, but I'm not 100% sure, I'm just going buy the environment agencies propaganda, it ought to be true they are scientists, well those in the field are. I hear that our drinking water is subjected to such rigorous purity measures and tests that is actually comes out with less particulates than bottled water, less radioactivity, less organisms, etc. Could be wrong though.

Anyway fact is no one gets ill from drinking our water unless it's contaminated after the source, so bottled water is a rather pretentious luxury as are water filters really unless you live in high limestone/chalk areas.

 

[Evo]

What really kills me is that the article I posted states

"Pepsi and Coke do not make a lot of profit" on bottled water

WHAT? If they don't make much profit off of water, are they losing money on selling Coke and Pepsi which actually contain ingredients other than water? Where I work a 20 ounce bottle of Pepsi costs $1.15, the 20 ounce bottle of water from Pepsi costs $1.25!

In the US alone, $15 BILLION dollars were spent on bottled water last year. Water they could basically get for free out of a drinking fountain.

 

[radou]

Water they could basically get for free out of a drinking fountain.

Marketing - the ancient art of fooling people.

 

[Evo]

I just want one billion of that. I think I need to start selling water.

 

[turbo]

What really kills me is that the article I posted states WHAT? If they don't make much profit off of water, are they losing money on selling Coke and Pepsi which actually contain ingredients other than water? Where I work a 20 ounce bottle of Pepsi costs $1.15, the 20 ounce bottle of water from Pepsi costs $1.25!

In the US alone, $15 BILLION dollars were spent on bottled water last year. Water they could basically get for free out of a drinking fountain.

Oh, yeah, I believe that selling bottled water makes the no real money. How stupid! You can buy any brand of soft drink here by the bottle and get it cheaper than bottled water. Let's see...fill bottles with tap water from a municipal supply and sell that vs mixing up syrups, flavorings, sweeteners (real or artificial) and carbonating the soda and bottling and selling THAT for less than the water. Hmmm.

Bottled water is a huge, growing, and profitable business and has been for years. Even in towns up here with good tap-water, Poland Springs suckers businesses into water-cooler deals with weekly water jug deliveries. At least that's cheaper than the >$1/bottle deals in the "convenience" stores. A couple of months ago, Staples was selling case-lots of bottles of PS water for cheaper than the stores could buy them, so the proprietor of the local liquor/beverage store bought a whole van-load, broke up the cases and sold individual bottles for a BIG profit. I can't imagine paying a couple of dollars a day to save myself the 10 seconds it takes to fill up a couple of refillable water bottles. $12/minute ($720/hr) is a pretty hefty wage, and even if you pay it a little at a time, it adds up pretty fast. I don't need "convenience" that comes at such a price.

 

[Kurdt]

One of my favourite jokes is about bottled water and could be changed in a campaign to stop people buying bottled water (or at least a particular brand). A comedian was on the subject of perrier nominations for comedy which he was trying to get boycotted as the winner of the tap water award for comedy. He noted that perrier were owned by Nestle, near the top of the list of unethical companies. Unicef have suggested that the milk marketing policies of nestle contribute to the deaths of 1.5 million children every year. So every time you laugh at a perrier nominated act a little baby dies.

So for those who are swayed by the aspirational marketing in the hope they'll have a certain image by buying bottled water might want to think about that.

 

[moose]

I can't stand the taste of tap water or even the taste of brita filtered or whatever water. The best bottled water is Aquafina, Dasani, and Sparkletts. Whem I'm at the gym or at judo, I do refill my bottle with fountain water (instead of bringing 2 or 3 bottles, lol).

 

[Evo]

I can't stand the taste of tap water or even the taste of brita filtered or whatever water. The best bottled water is Aquafina, Dasani, and Sparkletts. Whem I'm at the gym or at judo, I do refill my bottle with fountain water (instead of bringing 2 or 3 bottles, lol).

Moose, those are bottled tap water. Did you read the article in my first post?

 

[MaWM]

I like the taste of bottled water. Well.. some of them. If tap water is all that's available then I don't drink water. Filtered water is ok if you are very thirsty, but a good bottled water I will drink just because I like to. The brand makes a huge difference.

 

[moose]

Moose, those are bottled tap water. Did you read the article in my first post?

I don't care if they get it from filtering cow urine. It tastes so much better than any tap water or home filtered water I've ever had. Isn't Aquafina water tap water that has gone through their filtering system?

Anyway, people who think all water tastes the same and try to force that upon others are extremely ignorant. Just because they think it all tastes the same, does not mean that I do.

Also, Arrowhead is the worst water in the world. It tastes so bad. Ugh!

I like the taste of bottled water. Well.. some of them. If tap water is all that's available then I don't drink water. Filtered water is ok if you are very thirsty, but a good bottled water I will drink just because I like to. The brand makes a huge difference.

Exactly how I feel.

 

[arildno]

OK I'm bored I'll bite

You mean fresh from a mountain spring? I don't know, I would challenge that, but I'm not 100% sure, I'm just going buy the environment agencies propaganda, it ought to be true they are scientists, well those in the field are. I hear that our drinking water is subjected to such rigorous purity measures and tests that is actually comes out with less particulates than bottled water, less radioactivity, less organisms, etc. Could be wrong though.

Anyway fact is no one gets ill from drinking our water unless it's contaminated after the source, so bottled water is a rather pretentious luxury as are water filters really unless you live in high limestone/chalk areas.

mmm..there aren't many mountains in Oslo, but hundreds of lakes here (about 60% of Oslo are woodlands area).
Some of those lakes provide our drinking water.

Some humus cleansing does occur, but in general, the water quality is so good that little else is needed.

 

[K.J.Healey]

Michigan has really good tap water. I guess its some of the best in the country.(Detroit area). I'm not really sure why, unless its just great filtration plants.
I'll drink tap water but I prefer bottled because:
1. It DOES taste better, or should I say tastes less. Ice Mountain is my water of choice.
2. Convinient. I keep bottles in the fridge. This makes it easy to access when busy.
3. Bottles are cold. Tapwater is not that cold. Its OK, but not what I want to drink when I get back from KungFu.
4. Portable. I can take it in my car. Sure I can get some big thick plastic waterbottle that I have to wash every other day to carry with me. OR I can use small bottles that are fresh each day, and just recycle them when I get home.

Just to add: When I worked in the desert and drank a LOT more than I do in michigan, I would buy a water each day, and then fill it up from the water cooler. I was fine with that, I didn't want to waste any plastic or money. They just say not to reuse it too much due to the bacteria.

 

[K.J.Healey]

PS:
Someone should make an in-line tap cooling system like water coolers have. Basically like they have for some hot-water heaters at the sink level (the small spout for tea-temp water). Same for cold, I'd much rather drink tap water if it came out ice cold.

 

[BobG]

What really kills me is that the article I posted states WHAT? If they don't make much profit off of water, are they losing money on selling Coke and Pepsi which actually contain ingredients other than water? Where I work a 20 ounce bottle of Pepsi costs $1.15, the 20 ounce bottle of water from Pepsi costs $1.25!

In the US alone, $15 BILLION dollars were spent on bottled water last year. Water they could basically get for free out of a drinking fountain.

Marketing - the ancient art of fooling people.

So when do they come out with dehydrated water? It would be easier to pack for trips. One bottle and several packets of dehydrated water.

 

[K.J.Healey]

Ohh that gave me a great marketing product for Pop companies!
Dehydrated soda! You take a bottle of their $1.50 water, and add a $0.50 packet to make your own soda. Basically like coolaid, but you'd have to have some reagent that reacts with water to make it release co2. That way when you're hiking in the woods and need a refreshing drink, you can have a Coke! Thats what they want right? To replace water? I can be a millionaire...

 

[Evo]

When I was growing up we had fruit flavored tablets called
"Fizzies" that you dropped into a glass of water and it created a carbonated fruit flavored drink. I loved them.

Oh my, they're back!

http://www.fizzies.com/

 

[turbo]

PS:
Someone should make an in-line tap cooling system like water coolers have. Basically like they have for some hot-water heaters at the sink level (the small spout for tea-temp water). Same for cold, I'd much rather drink tap water if it came out ice cold.

All you need are some empty soda bottles or something similar. Party fill with tap water, shake to oxygenate, and stick them in the fridge. It's just a matter of making it a routine, and you'll have nice cool drinking water available anytime. Pour the water from a bottle to a glass and avoid the bacteria problem (don't drink from the bottles) and the bottles will last a LONG time. There is no need to buy special chillers for drinking water when most of us have nice refrigerators already.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

mmm..there aren't many mountains in Oslo, but hundreds of lakes here (about 60% of Oslo are woodlands area).
Some of those lakes provide our drinking water.

Some humus cleansing does occur, but in general, the water quality is so good that little else is needed.

I had some friends visit Norway this year and they said the natural water purity was amazing, it was literally tasteless and very very cold, probably part of the reason. It's not something I'm an expert on which is why I'm reserving judgement until I see a comparative test until then I'll believe the hype but won't be making any firm assertions.