| The True Cost of Bottled Water | | | | could mean millions of barrels of oil diverted to |
| Of all the beverages that you can pick up at the | | | | making plastic containers instead of serving as fuel |
| convenience store around the block, or the | | | | for energy and transportation. |
| grocery store, perhaps the cheapest selection | | | | The heavy toll that bottled water takes on our |
| would be a plastic bottle of water. After all, with | | | | environment cannot be denied, but perhaps it can |
| no additives or ingredients that would drive up its | | | | be reduced. As far as the workplace is concerned, |
| cost, the average bottled water product is | | | | a lot of plastic waste can be avoided if |
| basically good old H2O, albeit purified before | | | | employees simply bring their own reusable drink |
| packaging. Little do we realize that every bottled | | | | containers, and a water dispenser is installed in the |
| water we purchase may well contribute to a | | | | breakroom and other easily accessible areas. For |
| future environmental hazard, one that would far | | | | the inevitable plastic waste that may still get |
| exceed the savings we appear to get from | | | | produced, the solution lies in recycling this trash |
| patronizing something so cheap. | | | | material, sending it to processing centers to be |
| This has nothing to do with the water itself, but | | | | returned to circulation in new products. Every |
| with the container it comes in. Disposable plastic | | | | recycled bottle is one less plastic object taking |
| bottles and other plastic packaging comprise a | | | | space in a landfill, and a little bit of oil saved as |
| large chunk of the millions of tons of municipal | | | | well. |
| plastic waste that gets dumped into landfills and | | | | Getting the message across to one's employees |
| other garbage sites every year. Since plastic does | | | | starts with some helpful information on the true |
| not degrade or evaporate, every plastic bottle | | | | cost of buying water in plastic disposable bottles. |
| that you throw away could potentially sit around | | | | Afterward, recycling bins for plastic should be |
| for hundreds of years. Trash that doesn't | | | | positioned in areas with easy access, and in the |
| disappear translates into landfills and dumpsites | | | | breakroom, so that employees can't complain that |
| becoming full after some time, so significant | | | | carrying out the recycling policy was too difficult. |
| amounts must be spent to source new land for | | | | Lastly, workers need to be reminded all the time |
| trash storage. | | | | before they develop the habit, so you may want |
| Aside from the costs associated with the | | | | to consider the use of plastic recycling signs. The |
| disposable plastic bottle as waste, there is the | | | | best such signs are attractive and direct, drawing |
| matter of manufacturing new plastic water | | | | the viewer in and gently compelling him to |
| bottles. Since oil, a non-renewable resource, is a | | | | patronize the recycling program of his workplace. |
| core component of plastic production, each plastic | | | | A simple plastic recycling sign will do wonders to |
| bottle is a portion of oil that will never be | | | | mitigate what could in the future be a price for |
| refreshed. Considering the hundreds of millions of | | | | disposable water bottles that is too high for the |
| plastic bottles that are produced every year, that | | | | human race to pay. |