So what’s the best alternative to a portable plastic water bottle? Make a mental note for yourself by the way, if you’re a soda drinker the same issues come into play when you purchase a plastic bottle of soda.
The first consideration is to make it something that’s reusable. Enough of the 20 water bottles a week habit. Anything you use still requires energy and materials to make, and will require energy to recycle or dispose, so choose something that can be used for a long time.
The other issue is that the water in purchased water bottles isn’t generally very healthy. Your purified tap water is likely to be much better than your favorite brand of bottled water. See the Bottled Water Quality Investigation .
If it's plastic, current knowledge indicates the best are the ones with a #5 on the bottom (polypropylene) . This is the more rigid plastic used for things like yogurt containers. I’ve seen some specialty brands of waters and juices packaged in this plastic. If you have to have plastic for the light weight, you could purchase one of these specialty bottles and then reuse it. The reuse is still limited however, as the plastic may leach undesirables if it gets scratched up or otherwise compromised. Bear in mind that while it may be a little safer to drink out of it, it’s still a major toxic polluter in production and disposal.
Both aluminum and stainless steel require mining. Mining is not currently performed in an environmentally sound way, so this is a negative in the use of both of these materials. Aluminum also requires a liner. Historically these liners have been primarily of toxic Bisphenol A (BPA)! This is why BPA became an issue so quickly. It was divulged that it’s being used to line things like cans of baby formula. It’s also used to line aluminum and steel food cans. Get more information on where BPA is found and on avoiding it here.
If you open a can of vegetables and there’s a solid colored liner, it’s probably made with Bisphenol A. Many companies are now producing aluminum containers with liners that do not contain BPA, particularly aluminum water bottles. SIGG is one supplier of aluminum water bottles that has taken the initiative to replace their liners with BPA free alternatives.
Glass and stainless steel are currently the best alternatives for your bottles. Stainless steel is not known to leach any dangerous chemicals, and it will stand up to dents and scratches on the outside without the integrity of the inner material being compromised.
Some specialty stores now sell reusable containers and provide purified water to refill them with. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all stores would go that route? I envision someday being able to stop at the local convenience store to refill a water bottle from a filtered water source, instead of getting a new plastic bottle. Good stainless steel water bottles as well as glass are now widely available for sale.
The first consideration is to make it something that’s reusable. Enough of the 20 water bottles a week habit. Anything you use still requires energy and materials to make, and will require energy to recycle or dispose, so choose something that can be used for a long time.
The other issue is that the water in purchased water bottles isn’t generally very healthy. Your purified tap water is likely to be much better than your favorite brand of bottled water. See the Bottled Water Quality Investigation .
If it's plastic, current knowledge indicates the best are the ones with a #5 on the bottom (polypropylene) . This is the more rigid plastic used for things like yogurt containers. I’ve seen some specialty brands of waters and juices packaged in this plastic. If you have to have plastic for the light weight, you could purchase one of these specialty bottles and then reuse it. The reuse is still limited however, as the plastic may leach undesirables if it gets scratched up or otherwise compromised. Bear in mind that while it may be a little safer to drink out of it, it’s still a major toxic polluter in production and disposal.
Both aluminum and stainless steel require mining. Mining is not currently performed in an environmentally sound way, so this is a negative in the use of both of these materials. Aluminum also requires a liner. Historically these liners have been primarily of toxic Bisphenol A (BPA)! This is why BPA became an issue so quickly. It was divulged that it’s being used to line things like cans of baby formula. It’s also used to line aluminum and steel food cans. Get more information on where BPA is found and on avoiding it here.
If you open a can of vegetables and there’s a solid colored liner, it’s probably made with Bisphenol A. Many companies are now producing aluminum containers with liners that do not contain BPA, particularly aluminum water bottles. SIGG is one supplier of aluminum water bottles that has taken the initiative to replace their liners with BPA free alternatives.
Glass and stainless steel are currently the best alternatives for your bottles. Stainless steel is not known to leach any dangerous chemicals, and it will stand up to dents and scratches on the outside without the integrity of the inner material being compromised.
Some specialty stores now sell reusable containers and provide purified water to refill them with. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all stores would go that route? I envision someday being able to stop at the local convenience store to refill a water bottle from a filtered water source, instead of getting a new plastic bottle. Good stainless steel water bottles as well as glass are now widely available for sale.
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