Like most things that are destroying this tiny planet we call home, plastic started out as a miracle material.
Plastic is cheap to make, lightweight, durable, and transparent, which made it the perfect packaging material for everything from toys to medical supplies and food. But we took it too far. Cheap plastic meant that we started using it for everything, including drinking water.
Bottled water started off as a luxury product. Natural spring water was sold in glass bottles and marketed for its minerals and health benefits. Then we started packaging everything in plastic and bottled water became another convenience item.
As we bought more, the water changed to. No longer from natural springs, bottled water isn’t really different from the water you get from the tap. All it took was a couple of cryptosporidium outbreaks over the years and people lost trust in the public water supply. And now we consume more bottled water than ever.
For years, we didn’t think bottled water was a problem because we believed that plastic bottles would be recycled. But most of the time, they end up in landfill. And the ocean.
We used to think that the world was big and the oceans were endless, yet we managed to contaminate the environment with plastic at an unimaginable rate.
Imagine looking out over Galway Bay and seeing nothing but plastic. That doesn’t begin to describe the size of the floating island of plastic waste north of Hawaii. The pacific garbage patch is almost 20 times the area of Ireland (I had to triple-check my maths ).
We love plastic because it’s durable, but it also means it can take 500 years for a plastic bottle to break down. Slowly, bit-by-bit.
And those tiny bits of microplastic end up everywhere, including our water supply. One study found plastic contamination in 83% of drinking water tested.
Fact is, we’re already drinking plastic.
And bottled water is even worse.
For microplastic debris around 100 microns in size, about the diameter of a human hair, bottled water samples contained nearly twice as many pieces of microplastic per liter (10.4 ) than the tap water samples (4.45 ). - Orb Media study, 2017
It’s ironic. We started drinking bottled water because we thought it was healthier than tap water. Now years later, we realise that we’ve contaminated our water supply with the very bottles it comes in. Who would have imagined that?
The WHO (World Health Organisation ) recently said there’s no evidence of known risks to health from consuming microplastics. But what about the unknown risks?
“The potential hazards associated with microplastics come in three forms: physical particles, chemicals and microbial pathogens as part of biofilms. Based on the limited evidence available, chemicals and biofilms associated with microplastics in drinking-water pose a low concern for human health. Although there is insufficient information to draw firm conclusions on the toxicity related to the physical hazard of plastic particles, particularly for the nano size particles, no reliable information suggests it is a concern.” - WHO 2019
In other words, we simply don’t understand it yet and I don’t want to be part of that experiment.
But there’s an easy (and very cheap ) solution to reduce the amount of plastic you drink and reverse the cycle of contamination.
First, buy stainless steel (or glass ) water bottle and carry it everywhere. You’ll never need to buy another plastic bottle again, and you instantly reduce the amount of plastic you consume. Fill your stainless bottle with tap water whenever you need, and if you’re out and about, coffee shops, hotels and bars will fill it up for free.
Few people know that you can take a water bottle through airport security. Just make sure your bottle is empty first and then fill it from a fountain once you’re inside. Most people love to help you eliminate plastic bottles.
For the workplace, all employers must provide drinking water for employees by law. And many companies opt for those giant plastic bottles (usually with accompanying plastic cups which make them even worse ).
A better (plastic-free ) option is to install a water purifier. We recently installed a reverse osmosis filter which fits under the sink (thanks to Arek at niftysales.ie ). Reverse Osmosis filters can remove impurities like bacteria, heavy metals and pesticides. And, of course, microplastics.
For a few hundred Euros, we eliminated plastic from our office and now we have the cleanest drinking water available. Besides, we’re saving money over the bottled water we were buying before.
I’ve even ordered another unit at home so we can get the same quality plastic-free water at home too. Tap water is perfectly fine, but if you drink bottled water at home, you’d probably be better off investing in a reverse osmosis filter. You’ll have the reassurance that you’re drinking the cleanest water available, you’ll save money, and you’ll help remove plastic from our ecosystems.
