It isn’t about taking away a “healthy option,” it’s about providing a sustainable future
Congratulations, America! You made bottled water your drink of choice according to the percentages.
Consumers make their voices heard every time they bring a reusable bottle from home instead of buying a single-use plastic water bottle. Or, if they have to buy something when they are out, they choose the aluminum, paper, or glass option of bottled water because those options use fewer petroleum resources and are more often recycled than plastic.
Great statement, but it’s too quiet for the world to hear.
Unless legislators step in to shift the burden of plastic pollution on to the producers of that plastic, all of the efforts we make every day to cut our dependence on plastic fall short. A policy change is the only way to make a real change in the plastic pollution crisis. Just check out The City of San Francisco’s Ban on single-use plastic water bottles.
Myth busting the arguments against a single-use plastic water bottle BAN
Myth #1 A ban on plastic bottled water takes away a healthy option.
Why this is nonsense: We have plastic bottle water alternatives in the form of glass, paper, and reusable aluminum bottles like PATHWATER. Not to mention, more and more buildings are making water refill stations a standard.
Myth #2 There is no viable alternative.
Why this is nonsense: The options on the market for bottled water are growing. While many are single-use, they are still not plastic. Currently, the reusable options are glass bottles, until they shatter and must be recycled, and PATHWATER, which is durable and meant for long-term refilling.
Myth #3 Other types of beverages have plastic containers that are more harmful than plastic water bottles.
Why this is nonsense: Water is the #1 beverage sold in the U.S. With that said, it has the most room for improvement where waste is concerned. The fact is, we shouldn’t be manufacturing any single-use plastic bottles. All plastics carry a health threat that is not totally understood as of yet. More in-depth research is needed; however, even if the smallest risk is their estrogenic effect, plastics actively change the chemicals in our body through ingestion via beverages and mimic estrogen hormones in the body. Learn more >
Myth #4 Bans don't necessarily reduce waste.
Why this is nonsense: Bans on single-use plastic water bottles make them obsolete. And, because they are an inferior water carrying container, they will cease to be sold and purchased in mass quantities. Bans force people to reconsider their bad choices and make room for better solutions to take their place -- which is why bans are a great solution to reduce plastic waste.
Myth #5 Bottled water is a practical emergency water supply.
Why this is nonsense: This is a true statement. It’s a great idea to have sealed water containers in every emergency kit. There is zero need for those bottles of water to be plastic. In fact, plastic is not the ideal bottle if there is an emergency, as they are easily crushed and not very durable.
Myth #6 Banning bottled water restricts consumers' access to a product they want.
Why this is nonsense: Consumers don’t have to give up bottled water. But most people agree manufacturers are responsible for making products that keep people and the planet safe and healthy. Plastic water bottles fail in this area but other water bottles made out of glass, paper, and reusable aluminum bottles like PATHWATER, are still available for a convenient replacement.
Myth #7 Negatively affects small businesses.
Why this is nonsense: Small business that sells plastic water bottles have a high-profit margin on them. Plastic water bottles are a cheap source of revenue, and that money swims all the way upstream to the oil companies that frack for the oil needed to make the bottles. Small businesses have an opportunity to help their community by offering plastic-free bottled water options that will continue to provide high-profit margins but also take care of the planet. This is a positive effect on small businesses and their communities.
Reasons to BAN Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles:
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Plastic pollution is killing ocean life.
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CHINA, once our primary dump spot for “recyclable” plastic, IS OUT and no longer accepting our trash.
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When plastic is contaminated and can’t be recycled it is then burned.
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Plastic heated to high temperatures (like, when it’s burned) produces TOXIC FUMES.
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There is a TRASH ISLAND THE SIZE OF TEXAS, and it’s propped up by plastic bottles.
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Big plastic breaks breakdown into microplastic and that stuff is being found in our drinking water, our food, our soil…
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Oil is broken down to make that plastic, and it’s a non-renewable resource that contributes to climate change.
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Plastic chemical leaching (it’s disgusting, but plastic is made from oil).
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Stop paying for water because tap water is just as good in most places.
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It’s easy to go reusable and fill up your bottle in most places from home to work and school.
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Plastics are an Endocrine disruptor.
Really, all single-use plastics should be banned, including water bottles. This means straws, utensils, stir sticks, plastic lids, plastic cups, forks, spoons, plates, and all the other items that get ditched soon after use. If it’s plastic and it’s intended for a single-use, we simply shouldn’t be manufacturing it anymore.
With the many alternatives on the market from paper-based, sugar-cane, and closed-loop recycling aluminum based, there’s no need to slum it with plastic or single-use packaging anymore.
In 2016, there were over 480 billion plastic drinking bottles that were sold across the entire globe, which makes it easy to understand why by 2050, if we continue business as usual manufacturing of single-use plastics, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.
So, what do you think? Should single-use plastics be banned? SIGN THE PETITION to get single-use PET added to the list of plastics we should phase out in California. LET'S DO THIS!
Resources:
http://www.sodasherpa.com/plastic-problem/
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/compelling-reasons-why-plastic-bottles-should-be-banned.php
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/03/22/great-pacific-garbage-patch-grows/446405002/
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf