Plastic water bottles are a huge source of pollution and waste, and the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) reports that currently only 30.8 percent of bottles are being recycled in the U.S. When people are out and about, it’s hard to find recycling bins, and many of them end up in the ocean. You’re better off refilling your own reusable water bottle with tap water. This way, you can reduce plastic waste, control what water you drink and save money. Moreover, tap water is better for you because it is monitored and tested more often than bottled water. Local governments test tap water, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) itself does not test the water used by water bottling companies. Instead, a water bottling company is allowed to submit water quality tests for its own water. This allows water bottling companies to falsify test results to meet FDA standards (which aren’t very high anyway), and the results of their own water testing always look stunning. However, according to a 1999 study by the National Resource Defense Council, when third-parties perform water quality tests on bottled water, a range of carcinogenic compounds are found, like arsenic and benzene, as well as hormone disruptors. For more information, watch the documentary “Tapped.”
