People love the convenience of bottled water. Maybe if they realize the problems it causes, they would try drinking from a glass at home or carry water in a refillable or reusable container instead of buying a bottle of water each time we feel thirsty. Unfortunately, for every six water bottles we use, only one makes it to the recycling bin. The rest are sent to landfills. Even worse, they end up as trash on the land and in rivers, lakes and the ocean even in parks and in playgrounds. What people don’t know, plastic bottles take hundreds of years to disintegrate. Traditionally, water has been viewed as a single-use commodity. That is a luxury we can no longer afford. Water is good for us, so keep drinking it. But think about how often you use water bottles, and see if you can make a change. Millions of bottles of water are sold each year worldwide. It's a product that is very accessible to people. But how are these bottles made? What happens after we throw it out in the garbage? Every bottle of water has cost, from manufacturing, filling, shipping, storing, labeling and disposing. The majority of plastic bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. Produced from crude oil and after it is extracted, it is transported to refineries.

How BOTTLES are made 1) Preparation of raw materials and monomers 2) Polymerization 3) Process polymers into final polymer resins 4) Production of finished products Distilled oil is shipped to a manufacturer, who creates tiny plastic pellets. Bottle producers then melt down these pellets into "pre-forms" that look resemble plastic test tubes. Water bottling companies heat and expand these pre-forms to shape and size their bottles as desired. In recycling, plastic bottles are melted back down and returned to pellet form. Blow molding is the most common method for manufacturing plastic water bottles. It allows for great flexibility in design while minimizing cost. Thousands of bottles can be manufactured quickly and uniformly with high-speed injection blow-mold presses. Not only does oil extraction release greenhouse gases and harm habitats, but plastics production also casts toxins into the environment. After the oil has been extracted it is transported to refineries.

TYPES OF PLASTIC BOTTLES 1) Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) when exposed to heat or surface scratched, can cause health problems Disposable water bottles like those from Aquafina, Dasani, etc. 2) High-density polyethylene (HDPE) The most encouraged plastic for drinking or eating Milk and water jugs, gray Nalgene bottles 3) Vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (PVC or V) Not typically used for food containers but can be found in shrink wrap and deli and meat wraps. Containers made with PVC are not safe to eat or drink from. 4) Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) Bags for bread, frozen food and groceries 5) Polypropylene (PP) Yogurt, margarine and other food containers 6) Polystyrene (PS) Compact disc jackets, plastic eating utensils and take-out food containers; there is also expanded or foamed PS, known as Styrofoam 7) Polycarbonate or Lexan (Other) leaks bisphenol-A (BPA) into our water and can cause serious health problems Indicates that package is made with a resin other than the six listed above, or is made of more than one resin and used in a multi-layer combination. Examples include three- and five-gallon reusable water bottles, some citrus juice and catsup bottles, and oven- baking bags.

Bottles can be made of “bioplastic”, which is produced from a plant material like corn or sugarcane instead of using petroleum. Bioplastic is biodegradable but doesn’t necessarily mean it is eco-friendly since the production of this plastic also requires huge amount of water and agricultural land.

Aside from causing harm into our environment, it also causes risk to human health.

The rest end up as litter, getting dumped in landfills or waterways, where they take hundreds of years to decompose. Plastic waste in oceans is a major environmental problem, polluting the water and threatening sea creatures and birds. It affects every waterway, sea and ocean in the world. When we damage our water systems, we're putting our own wellbeing at risk. This pollution also has huge costs for taxpayers and local governments to clean up the trash off the beaches and streets to protect public health, prevent flooding from trash-blocked storm drains, and avoid lost tourism revenue from filthy beaches.

ANIMALS SUFFER

WATER POLLUTION

Is it Too Late to Fix? It’s never too late to make a change.

By drinking filtered water, you are reducing the amount of plastic bottles that end up in our landfills and oceans. 1 reusable water used = 300 plastic bottles saved. CHANGING YOUR CHOICES + Plastic bottle harms our health & environment = Reusable bottles HEALTHIER YOU