What’s the Problem with Tap Water and Reusable Water Bottles?
Tap Water Gets a Bad Rap But Is It Merited?
Tap water has a bad rep, and there really is no reason for this. As the sales of bottled water soar, making it a multibillion dollar a year industry, it begs the question what’s the problem with tap water? The answer is there is no problem with most municipal water supplies. There are instances when municipalities will issue a boil water alert, but aside from such warnings tap water is great. You can even check the quality of your water at the EPA’s site.
In a Face Off Tap Water Comes Out on Top
There is a popular misconception that bottled water tastes better, but time and again in taste tests, consumers chose tap water, and this is despite bottled water manufacturers altering their water to taste better. Pure water has no taste, so oftentimes manufacturers add additives to make their water taste good to consumers. It is very common for manufacturers to add magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium bicarbonate or salt to their water.
These additives are fine and pose no health risks, especially because the quantities are so low, but it is concerning that if someone is monitoring their sodium intake, for instance, they would need to check the ingredient list on their bottled water. There is also nothing stopping manufacturers from adding sugars or other ingredients to make their water more palatable.
Before you open that bottled water it is worth reading the Nutritional Facts label to find out what exactly you are consuming. It is completely possible that tap water can contain naturally occurring minerals, but tap water will never include calories, and that is a claim not all bottled waters can make.
You’re Paying for More Than Just the Taste
The bottled water industry uses 1.5 million tons of plastic each year are for packaging. This is a massive amount. Efforts have been made to reduce the amount of plastic used and to increase recycling rates (we offer reusable water bottles and reusable bags made with recycled plastic), but ultimately this has a huge environmental impact that is not good for our planet.
Aside from packaging, when you purchase bottled water you are also paying for marketing and distribution and a whole slew of other things. Tap water is free. Maybe you have a pay a water bill, but if you do that expense is generally a lot lower than what it would cost you to buy bottled water for a year.
So Turn On The Tap
There are times when bottled water may be the only option as in an emergency, but these are very specific circumstances and more often than not tap water is the smart choice. Tap water tastes better and is a lot cheaper, making it a better way to stay hydrated and keeping reusable water bottles on hand is a great way to go green and save green.
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