The Pros And Cons Of Bottled Water Vs. Tap Debate

Water is an important source in this world and it is a source that all of us humans need. Without water we wouldn’t be living today. Water comes in many different ways but the most common and the most talked about topic is, Bottled Water or Tap Water? There are many debates on which type of water is safer, better in taste, and what is more convenient. The question is usually what tastes better. I read in the article “is tap water as safe as bottled water?” “Tap water and bottled water are generally comparable in terms of safety. So the choice of tap or bottled is mostly a matter of personal preference.” (Zeratsky) I completely agree with this statement. Everyone has his or her own opinions.

I have always found it sort of curious when I see people buying bottled water. My grandfather told me that when he was a boy they drank water from the hose and it was free. I know growing up our household certainly didn’t bother with things like that, so facet water is what we got as well. The costs of groceries these days is expensive, spending extra money on water always seemed like such a waste to me. Now, that being said, some people live in areas where the water isn’t very clean, and buying bottled water is much safer than drinking the city’s water. Also, bottled water has become more popular because it is paired as a service; Bottled water is easy to grab on the go. It takes more time to find a water bottle, with a lid, and fill it up than to grab an already bottled water.

Tap water is extremely cheaper than bottled water is. According to Livingston, tap water costs only $2.00 every thousand gallons, whereas the cost per gallon of bottled water is $1.21. "That means, priced by gallon, bottled water is more than 600 times more expensive than tap water" (Livingston). Buying a bottled water may be cheaper at the time, however, that $1.00 or so adds up. When people buy bottled water, it is often the same as tap, just that’s been filtered or purified (Livington). So, why spend money on bottled water when it's rather identical to tap, with no

A lot of people around the world do not have a the choice between tap or bottled water.

Bottled water is extremely expensive. Why pay for water when we can have it for free at our disposable through our own water supply. In 2016 Americans drank over 30 billion bottles of water spending almost 12 billion dollars (Statistic Brain, 2016). Many people complain about our water supply, some say it taste like bleach, others say it has a metal after taste and some say they just do not trust it. Americans are spending money on water filters and also purchasing bottled water when in reality many bottled water companies are using tap water and purifying it themselves. The Safe Drinking Water Act was implemented to assure the American people that our water is clean and safe to ingest (Environmental Protection Agency, 2016).

In the article “Trust on Tap”, Kate Brown explores the why the vast majority of people turn to bottled water as opposed to tap despite bottled water’s many drawbacks. The article discusses how it was found that people in a survey seem to believe “convenience, cost and environmental impact” (Brown) are a “secondary” (Brown) concern and many drink it because they believe it is “better quality” (Brown). Despite this view, it is completely untrue that bottled water is “safer” (Brown) than tap water. According to an expert in water quality, Stewart Khan, tap water must meet more “stringent… criteria” (Khan) than bottled water to ensure purification. Lastly Brown shows how many water companies lie to the public, just as Nestle did as they led the public to believe their water was spring water although it was in fact groundwater they pulled “near a present… waste dump” (Brown).

Tap water can be used to help cook right in the comfort of home. Instead of going through many gallons of bottled water, just turn on the tap to fill up the pot to boil noodles or do whatever is needed to in the kitchen. It is also portable, just fill up reusable bottles with the tap and bam; good to go. When people hear the word tap they think of the sink at home, yes that is included, but tap water can be water fountains in public areas. Consumers use the tap more than they realize. Tap water also hydrates not only the person drinking from it, but it can also hydrate animals and crops. This proves tap water is very

Americans utilize a great deal of water, in fact, the average American uses 90 gallons a day (Henshaw). So it is not surprising America has one of the cleanest water reserves in the world (“Water Quality”). A surprising statistic, however, is one-third of the American population drinks bottled water on a regular basis when the majority has clean drinking water at home (Olsen). This might be due to the fact that the bottled water industry has promoted itself as a healthier and more portable alternative to tap water. However, the truth is startling as bottled water is only a misleading, expensive, and dangerous gimmick to bring in revenue for large companies.

Tap water is better than bottled water and its more safer because, bacteria can get in the bottle and get people sick. Here are some reasons why, the first reason is that the battle can go in the oceans and make the water sick so the fish can die. The second reason is all the battles go in the salt lake rivers. Lastly tap water is better and more safer to the environment.

In the essay Bad To the Last Drop the author Standage claims that people are wasting money on bottled water when there is no difference between it and tap water. Water is the one thing that all humans need; it is an essential element to keeping us alive because it helps our bodies stay hydrated and helps regulate temperature by creating sweat. The different ways that people receive water varies, but the two leading ways to acquire water in first world countries is from the tap or buying bottles of water from stores. These two methods of getting water are very popular in America and Canada because many people believe that tap water is sanitary and that it isn’t for drinking only for doing things like washing dishes, cleaning, and other tasks so they drink bottle water. While others think that bottle water is the worst option because it causes environmental issues and it isn’t safer than tap water so they drink tap water. I also agree with his claim because bottled water is not safer than tap water, it causes major environmental issues, and huge resource issues.

Nearly 30 years ago a North American surge began. It all started when North Americans lost faith in their government’s ability to provide its citizens with safe and reliable means of drinking water. This was a tragic incident for the environment as well as the world’s citizens. While thousands of North Americans desire for bottle water increased, this gave corporations the opportunity to swoop in and save the day, and of course make a profit. This dawned the era of bottled water. Corporations began selling pre bottled “safe” water for the public to drink. People then began to get hooked on the convenience of bottled water, and lost faith in their government’s ability to provide drinking water. Bottled water then became ingrained within the

Most people claim water is water, it is all the same thing so drink up and enjoy it, others would disagree. Water is not water, and tap water is the way to go. Tap water is sanitary, it is cheaper, and it is more ecofriendly. We spend a large amount of money each year on tap water, close to $100 billion each year. We also use enough plastic bottles a year to wrap around the earth numerous times.

Society continues to debate whether the benefits of bottled water outweigh the cons or vice versa. Many people are in favor of bottled water because of the convenience and availability. On the other hand, several people are opposed to bottled water because of the detrimental effects on the environment. In different facilities worldwide, organizations have performed several studies in both points of view to determine whether or not the benefits of bottled water outweigh the cons or vice versa. As a result of the various studies, the benefits of bottled water do not outweigh the cons.

Even though bottled water has many disadvantages, there are still some benefits. Bottled water is convenient. Almost everywhere a person goes there are bottled waters being sold. The water is sold at grocery stores, convenience stores, vending machines, and many other places. People can also buy many bottles of water at a time. Some grocery stores sell bottled water that come with twenty or more bottles in the case. Bottled water is a convenient on-the-go hydration solution. For example, people carry bottled water with them for packed lunches, when they exercise or when they participate in outdoor activities like camping. Sources of water found outside may not be safe to consume without proper filtration. People will need access to some sort of clean drinking water in order to stay hydrated.

Have you ever had any concerns about bottled water? Do you think that bottled water consumption should be banned? Bottled water is water packed in plastic containers and sold for human consumption (Health Canada, 2013). Currently, the amount of bottled water consumed has increased considerably since many people feel it is safer drinking bottled water than tap water (Parent and Wrong, 2014). According to The Statistics Portal, the global sale of bottled water took a leap from 161, 589 to 181, 608 liters from 2009 to 2011. Only in the United States, each American citizen consumed around 32 gallons of bottled water in 2013, thus meaning an equivalent growth of 15, 94% over 2009 (The Statistics Portal, 2014). In fact, due to good portability, bottled water has been helpful in both simple and complex situations such as daily exercises and natural disasters. Even though having those few considerable advantages, bottled water still have been less beneficial; especially due to the negative impacts in the socio-economic, health and environmental fields.