Now that we know how colossal the effect of plastic on the environment is, it’s time we address the
elephant in the room: why do so many people still choose to drink bottled water despite knowing how bad
plastic is for the environment?
Some of the most common reasons are:
“Bottled water is safer.”
“Bottled water tastes better.”
“Tap water is not as regulated.”
The truth is, multiple studies have shown that these reasons are simply not true! Let’s dive a little deeper.
Taste tests prove the stereotype wrong Blind taste tests have actually proven that most participants can’t tell the difference between bottled, filtered and tap water. A 2010 study in the Journal of Sensory Studies showed that participants in the study could differentiate between 6 different types of tap water and 6 different types of bottled water.
Only 36% of the participants could tell the difference!
The only thing that made tap water stand out was the level of chlorine in them. A simple way to solve this problem? Installing a water filtration system in your home.
The filtration process of bottled water is ambiguous Speaking of filtration, did you know that most bottled water in the UAE is actually just municipal or treated water? While we’re lucky enough to live in a country that regulates all bottled water and has a baseline measure that ensures they are safe to drink, each bottled water is filtered in a different way based on where they originate from. This includes the criteria of testing, its frequencies, and even the processes with which they clean their plastic bottles! The details of these processes are often very ambiguous and hardly ever shared with the public.
This begs the question: if we’re drinking filtered water anyway, why are we not cutting the middleman out and filtering our very own free flowing tap water in the comfort of our home?
You are in control of what does (and doesn’t go) into your tap water Did you know that once you invest in a home filtration system, you can choose to remineralise your own water? According to the study done by the Journal of Sensory Studies, most people prefer water with medium mineralisation.
Instead of having to do the guesswork,you can simply remineralise your filtered water 1⁄8 of a teaspoon of himalayan salt to every five gallons of filtered water. Not only does this add cleansing health benefits to your water, you also get to control exactly how your water tastes!
Only a small percentage of water bottles actually end up getting recycled If none of the previous reasons resonate with you, this will. Leading a sustainable, eco-friendly life means
doing the best you can to limit your plastic waste on the planet.
Even if every plastic bottle you consume you put into the recycling bin, studies have shown that only 10% of the bottles actually end up reaching its recycling destination. That means that, for every 100 bottles of water you drink, 90 go on to take their place in landfills for hundreds of years! Don’t believe us? Try it for yourself? Conduct your own taste tests, contact your local water regulator, and ask them your questions!