A sports bottle beats pollution

The Guardian recently published an article about the enormous environmental impact of bottled water. Global consumption has seen a huge increase between 1997 and 2004 and of course sadly it is mostly sold in the ubiquitous plastic bottle. Interestingly enough, the biggest consumer was Europe, with 53,661 thousand cubic metres consumed in 2004 - which The Guardian pointed out is something of an oddity since we have access to some of the cleanest tap water in the world today.

Bottled water undoubtedly creates ocean pollution through plastic waste reaching the sea. Yet these days plastic bottles are so easily recyclable, with many councils offering a kerb-side collection service. They also create more carbon dioxide emissions through their manufacture and transportation to the bottling plants and then to our shops. Although the obvious thing to do is to re-use the plastic bottles, in practice this doesn’t always work since many manufacturers are clear they are not suitable for this purpose!

To get out of this destructive cycle, why not use a genuinely safe re-usable bottle instead, such as the H20 Sports Filter Bottle? It makes great sense both financially and for the environment. Instead of paying anything from around 40 pence a bottle to even towards a couple of pounds for a bottle of water, you can have one for the princely sum of just one penny. Apart from the vast savings every week, since we do have clean tap water, it’s also far better to filter it using this bottle and cut out the endless line of plastic bottles for disposal.

Having said this, for most of us mere mortals, of course it is impossible to always get along without creating a little household waste. For those times when you are caught without a re-usable bottle or have other recyclables to take care, the stern looking ugly recycling container lurking in the corner of the garage is thankfully only a memory these days. There are now a wonderful variety of chic recycling containers that wouldn't look out of place in any kitchen, garden or outside space. And I think an attractive recycling bin or the re-usable Sports bottle would make a super Christmas present- especially for busy parents.