Water is Apart of a Healthy Diet, Not Plastic

            People that drink a lot of water develop the tendency to throw the plastic bottle away in the trash, either unknowingly or unwillingly, when they are done drinking their water. When a plastic bottle is thrown in the trash, instead of a recycling bin, they make their way to a landfill instead of a recycling plant, to be reused again. Sam Martin wrote, “It seems that compared to landfilling, recycling is the economic and environmental favorite by a long shot” (Cothran 64). My research of this problem has identified problems and simple solutions that can be used in my daily life and can be attractive to others so they may develop these techniques in their own life styles. Plastic bottles, containing drinking water, are not the best options for someone’s daily water consumption; they cause recycling and landfill problems that can be avoided with simple changes involving different purchasing methods and developing effective recycling techniques.

In today’s advancing world where developments in technologies such as plastics and mass distribution; bottled water production has boomed in the last 30 years. This has led to a popular growing market of buying and consuming bottled water in bulk, increasing nearly 50% in the past five years. The consumption of bottled water a year in America “has grown from less than 5 gallons a person in 1980 to close to 30 gallons today (LeBlanc par. 3). This then results into habit, and unfortunately this can sometimes lead to a bad habit of not recycling. Over the last 50 years the margin between the amounts of plastics manufactured per year compared to the amount of that same plastic recovered per year has grown widely. In 2003, twenty-seven million tons of plastics products were generated with only 1.4 million tons recovered, which was a 5.2% recovery rate. The recovery rate has not risen since 1995, staying in the five percent range for the last eight years (Evans 94).

The making of plastics consists of chemical resins being melted down and molded into various shapes to create many of the plastics that are produced (Evans 93-94). If these plastics end up in a landfill they will eventually become toxic, plus they will not breakdown for many generations. These toxins consist of cadmium and lead; which can be absorbed into the earth and into water supplies. Lead is very poisonous to the human body and even more so towards children, and cadmium can build up in the body through time and damage lungs, kidneys, the nervous system, stomach, and has also be classified as a cancer causing agent (Evans 83).

The recycling of plastics so they end up in recycling plants and used again will make the generation rate drop and the recovery rate rise. Even though there are some naysayers that argue the fact that recycling and recovery operations expend energy, waste money, increases pollution, contribute to carbon deposits in the atmosphere, and contribute to green house gases; because of the use of the trucks needed for transportation and the “energy-gobbling recycling plants” needed for the recovery process which consist of having to sort each plastic product by each individual resin type so they can be melted down and molded for reuse (Beck par. 7). One might think that it might be better to just throw recyclables in the trash instead of wasting money on expensive recycling techniques, I’m afraid that is a poor decision because “out of sight, out of mind” is not an excuse (Beck Par. 7). I understand recycling it’s the simple solution; but it is a lot better than resulting to a trash can for plastic products, plus there is only so much land for landfills as our world population grows and grows each passing year. Dr Alan Hershkowitz says, “Everything costs money, including incinerators and landfills” he also explains that “recycling is designed to ease the impact we have on our environments and alleviate the burden our waste has on our communities. So yes it is worth it” (Cothran 64).

 The easiest way for me to prevent the plastic bottle problem in my own life is the use of water storage bottles that are put into water dispensers at home; also the use of a personal container that can be taken while on the go and refilled with water daily. Most liquids, other than water, come from plastic bottles too, but bottled drinking water is the one problem that can be resolved in my daily life; and can have the most effect towards permanent change.

Water is the “most essential human nutrient” required for the human body since “65-70 percent” of the human body consists of water (Moser par. 1). I bought a durable 24 once container that has already demonstrated its ability to sustain many collisions with the ground; and can be used daily and filled from the water jug in my kitchen. I called my local store and found out that water storage bottles can be bought for $12.50 and can hold five gallons of water per bottle, or pay $9.50 for a three gallon bottle. These five gallon water bottles can also be refilled at water vending machines for 35 cents a gallon, equaling $1.75 for five gallons and $1.05 for the tree gallon jug; the five gallon bottle can also be refilled for two dollars inside the water store, and $1.20 for the three gallon bottle (Thompson). This method prevents me from using the faucet or becoming a sucker by spend extra money to drink water from foreign countries that might be a little misleading in where they get their water (Kelso par. 9). I have found out that “many of the same contaminants found in drinking water [from faucet] also show up in bottled water. Heavy metals, solvents, thrihalomethanes, pesticides, and even radioactive materials have been found” (Coffel 208-209) so there might not be any real major advantage over the assumption that bottles water is safer, cleaner, and healthier. 

There is no reason for me to never buy bottled drinking water in bulk, but I think I’ll have a few cases around in case of an emergency. Most southern Californians have water, food, and other supplies ready available in case of natural disaster, mainly fires and earthquakes; and “71 percent of Americans keep bottled water on hand in case of emergency” (Alters 96). I will not rely solely on bottled water as means of drinking water everyday, for those who drink a lot of water daily, they should adapt their way of drinking water to my new methods stated above.

Another way I’ll not contribute to plastic bottles ending up in landfills is to avoid being complacent when recycling, when I have an empty plastic bottle that needs to be discarded. I’ll find a recycling receptacle instead of just tossing it in a trash can. Or I have one of two other choices to choose. The first choice is to collect the bottles for myself and I can turn in at a recycling center for my own profit. It would be a nice and easy way to collect money for something specific, like for gas, as a college student paying for books, or maybe if you collect for awhile you can save enough money for a vacation. The second choice is I can give the plastic bottles away to someone else that collects the plastic for money. I always see homeless and poorer folks who are usually around public parks, and I’ve even seem these types of people on the Ventura College campus, who dig through the trash cans looking for plastic bottles, glass bottles, and aluminum cans, to turn in for money. And why not collect it at your home so you can get a little extra spending cash? It literally is like throwing money in the trash. Not much even though plastic is cheaper that glass or aluminum when it comes to recycling for profit because “plastic bottles produce a profit of 5 to 10 cents per pound, considerably less than the 30 to 40 cents that aluminum cans bring in” (Environment par. 1).

The overall point is for me to do the right thing, not the wrong thing, which is not caring about the environment and the future of it by throwing plastic in the trash that leads to landfills where nothing will be done to so solve the problem. I would be dumb not to right? I understand that throwing away one or two bottle in the trash will not destroy the earth and its environment, but if we all thought like that it would lead to billions of tons in our landfill areas. I also understand that there is no real win-win situation but reduction will have a more lasting effect on this problem than reusing and recycling. Though recycling and reuse are better solutions and can also have a quality result towards our environment, than doing nothing at all. “Recycling for the war [World War II] was simple: Save now, have a better world to live in later. Sixty years later, has the message changed so much?” (Cothran 63). So make it a point to change your daily habit, as I have done, don’t be lazy or careless. I’m not asking you to change your life drastically because my solutions are simple, fair, and positive.

 

 

Works Cited

 

“A lose-lose situation.” Environment 42.10 (2000): 6. Research Library Core. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 14 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Alters, Sandra M. Water: No Longer Taken for Granted. 2007 ed. Detroit: The Gale Group, 2008.

 

Beck, Aaron. “C’mon, fools: let’s waste more fuel.” Columbus Dispatch [Columbus, Ohio] 4 Apr. 2008, D.10. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Coffel, Steve. But Not a Drop to Drink! The Lifesaving Guide to Good Water. New York: Rawson Associates, 1989.

 

Cothran, Helen, ed. Garbage and Recycling: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003.

 

Evans, Kim Masters. The Environment: A Revolution in Attitudes. 2006 ed. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2006.

 

Kelso, John. “What’s in that bottle of yours? Eau de Sucker?” Austin American Statesman [Austin, Tex.] 22 Apr. 2008, B.1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

LeBlanc, Pamela. “Bottled water’s problems surfacing.” Austin American Statesman [Austin, Tex.] 20 Apr. 2008, A.1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Moser, Daniel R. “Drink up! Daily fluid intake is important: [City Edition].” Lincoln Journal Star [Lincoln, Neb.] 22 Sep. 1997, 1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 4 May. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Thompson, Mark. Telephone interview. 1 May. 2008

Works Consulted

 

“A lose-lose situation.” Environment 42.10 (2000): 6. Research Library Core. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 14 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Alters, Sandra M. Water: No Longer Taken for Granted. 2007 ed. Detroit: The Gale Group, 2008.

 

Beck, Aaron. “C’mon, fools: let’s waste more fuel.” Columbus Dispatch [Columbus, Ohio] 4 Apr. 2008, D.10. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Coffel, Steve. But Not a Drop to Drink! The Lifesaving Guide to Good Water. New York: Rawson Associates, 1989.

 

Cothran, Helen, ed. Garbage and Recycling: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003.

 

Evans, Kim Masters. The Environment: A Revolution in Attitudes. 2006 ed. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2006.

 

Kelso, John. “What’s in that bottle of yours? Eau de Sucker?” Austin American Statesman [Austin, Tex.] 22 Apr. 2008, B.1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

LeBlanc, Pamela. “Bottled water’s problems surfacing.” Austin American Statesman [Austin, Tex.] 20 Apr. 2008, A.1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Mansperger, Dale E., Carson W. Pepper. Plastics: Problems and Processes. Scranton: International Textbook Company, 1938.

 

Michaud, Dominique S., Donna Spiegelman, Steven K. Clinton, and Eric B. Rimm, et al. “Fluid intake and the risk of bladder cancer in men.” The New England Journal of Medicine 340.18 (1999): 1390-7. Research Library Core. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 15 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Moser, Daniel R. “Drink up! Daily fluid intake is important: [City Edition].” Lincoln Journal Star [Lincoln, Neb.] 22 Sep. 1997, 1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 4 May. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

“Recycling a key piece to water bottle problem.” Telegraph - Herald [Dubuque, Iowa] 26 Mar. 2008, A.4. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 29 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.

 

Thompson, Mark. Telephone interview. 1 May. 2008

 

“Trash + Creativity = Problem Solved: Award Winners Give Plastic Bottles Second Life.” Tech Directions [Ann Arbor, MI] May 2007, 66.10 (2007): 17-20. ABI/INFORM Global. ProQuest. Ventura College (CCL). 14 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>.