4 ms·

I still don't get how bottled water became a thing. It wasn't a thing when I was a kid, and somehow the industry convinced us to buy huge quantities of an infe

by chubot 6y ago

I still don't get how bottled water became a thing. It wasn't a thing when I was a kid, and somehow the industry convinced us to buy huge quantities of an inferior product for more money, and it pollutes the environment to boot. Insane. The least you can do is use a refillable container. 10+ years ago Google switched from bottle water to giving everyone a container. And that was a great move. Yet people complained, and a few years later we were back to bottled water. What a waste.

RankingMember 6y ago
It's literally convenience trumping everything. For example, for gatherings (back when we were able to have those), you could either bring a big jug of water and a bunch of solo cups, a case of bottled water, or, the eco-friendly option, a jug of water and just assume everyone else will have a reusable water bottle (e.g. Nalgene). The easiest option there is the bottled water option. This can only be solved by shifting from the "wish upon a star that all consumers will somehow solve the problem themselves" strategy to putting the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the people profiting from putting municipal water in single-use plastic bottles.
SQueeeeeL 6y ago
People are bad decision agents. Selling bottled water to Americans is like selling snow to eskimos, but we buy it in droves because advertising fuckin works and works well. They make a few dollars off of every person in the country to contribute nothing, but that's just how capitalism works. The only way to win is to start making your own water bottles and market them harder!! (btw the planet is still screwed doing this, but you'll be rich!)
outworlder 6y ago
> I still don't get how bottled water became a thing Many reasons. Mostly distrust on how potable the water actually is (events like Flint didn't help). Some locations have water that tastes bad - even if it should be otherwise healthy. What I don't understand is how small bottles became a thing. Sure, if you are out and about it might be convenient to carry some, as they are sealed containers. But some people buy them for normal consumption. At least use the big bottles that are supposed to be used with watercoolers. Those are actually reused.
AnotherGoodName 6y ago
A thought exercise: Sugary bottled drinks are even worse for the environment. They not only have the same bottles and water involved but they also have other ingredients that add even more environmental consequences. They have public health consequences too. But of course to ban sugary drinks would cut into the realm of personal choice right? After all people may choose to want a sugary beverage. So no one argues that case. Still it's weird to draw the line at bottled water and not further along. I used to live near a council area (Manly City Council) that banned bottled water. It meant you could only buy sugary drinks at the local corner store. Go to the beach and forget your water bottle? You better like Coca-Cola because that's all they'll sell you! I'm not opposed to encouraging people to use a re-usable container. But i am opposed to a ban on something that's far better than the alternatives that remain unbanned.
- tayo42 6y ago
  The better ban would be to ban drinks sold in single use containers. > ban sugary drinks would cut into the realm of personal choice right? if you're talking about environmental effects then its no longer a personal choice issue.
- caturopath 6y ago
  Soft drinks, booze, etc. are really harmful, but at least they have a value add that makes shipping them around coherent. Bottled water is a different matter. Obviously we should be discouraging the use of soda and alcohol and such.
- josho 6y ago
  > Go to the beach and forget your water bottle? You better like Coca-Cola because that's all they'll sell you! Your comment reveals your age. The parent and myself are old enough to remember a time when you could go to numerous public places and drink from a water fountain. It also showcases just how far we've fallen as a society and have settled to create profit seeking solutions at the expense of what is best for society.
  - aksss 6y ago
crazygringo 6y ago
It's really very simple to understand, even if you think it's wrong. Soda, juice, etc. were sold in bottles which normalized it. Then people wanted to be healthier and so putting water in a bottle at events/meetings felt like providing a healthy choice to people, directly next to the unhealthy choices. Plus the water in small bottles could be kept cold in ice more easily. Also sparkling water already needed to be in bottles, so it seems even more natural to have still water next to it in the same way too. People in some parts of the country also realized the bottled water tasted better than their local highly chlorinated tap water. (Other parts of the country there's no difference.) The industry didn't even have to convince anyone. It's genuinely consumer-led. And refillable containers have their own disadvantages. It's not always easy to lug one around the office as you juggle your laptop and documents and phone, or you forget it in another conference room, etc. It's easy to keep in a backpack, but people aren't usually lugging their backpack to every meeting or to the cafeteria. I'm not defending single-use water bottles... but sometimes I do wonder if all the materials+energy spent on refillable bottles has actually turned into a huge net loss, as so many of them go unused, lost or thrown out long before they'd achieve a net positive.
- qntty 6y ago
  > The industry didn't even have to convince anyone. It's genuinely consumer-led. And yet they spent millions doing just that when research showed that people had no interest in buying it: https://priceonomics.com/the-ad-campaign-that-convinced-americans-to-pay/ https://priceonomics.com/the-ad-campaign-that-convinced-amer...
forgotmypw17 6y ago
I am fregan for environmental reasons, among others. I get much of my food out of dumpsters. I don't buy any clothes, like, ever, only hand-me-downs. I don't ride in a car unless it's already going that way. Several years ago, I paid a couple hundred bucks to get my municipal water (large U.S. city) tested in a lab. After seeing the results, I almost never drink tap water, and I buy a gallon of spring water (in clear plastic) on most days for my own use.
- elliottkember 6y ago
  Would you care to share what the results were?
- chubot 6y ago
  Why not use a water filter and glassware? That's what I've done at home for 15+ years. I think many workplaces also have filtered water, including every place of worked at (although not everyone uses it). The "water cooler" was a really good solution!
  - nip180 6y ago
    I’m not the parent comment, but many undesirable things are not caught by the common carbon water filters. Specifically it does very little for bacteria, viruses, and other organic compounds.
  - forgotmypw17 6y ago
    Indeed, sibling comment is correct in that, unless you invest in a serious filter, it won't filter out much except sediment.
    - chubot 6y ago
      Is bottled water better? I remember a TV report long ago specifically saying it's worse in that regard. Anyway, I've been drinking filtered tap for 15+ years all over the United States -- never had a problem and tastes great.

by chubot 6y ago

RankingMember 6y ago

It's literally convenience trumping everything. For example, for gatherings (back when we were able to have those), you could either bring a big jug of water and a bunch of solo cups, a case of bottled water, or, the eco-friendly option, a jug of water and just assume everyone else will have a reusable water bottle (e.g. Nalgene). The easiest option there is the bottled water option. This can only be solved by shifting from the "wish upon a star that all consumers will somehow solve the problem themselves" strategy to putting the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the people profiting from putting municipal water in single-use plastic bottles.

SQueeeeeL 6y ago

People are bad decision agents. Selling bottled water to Americans is like selling snow to eskimos, but we buy it in droves because advertising fuckin works and works well. They make a few dollars off of every person in the country to contribute nothing, but that's just how capitalism works. The only way to win is to start making your own water bottles and market them harder!! (btw the planet is still screwed doing this, but you'll be rich!)

outworlder 6y ago

> I still don't get how bottled water became a thing Many reasons. Mostly distrust on how potable the water actually is (events like Flint didn't help). Some locations have water that tastes bad - even if it should be otherwise healthy. What I don't understand is how small bottles became a thing. Sure, if you are out and about it might be convenient to carry some, as they are sealed containers. But some people buy them for normal consumption. At least use the big bottles that are supposed to be used with watercoolers. Those are actually reused.

AnotherGoodName 6y ago

A thought exercise: Sugary bottled drinks are even worse for the environment. They not only have the same bottles and water involved but they also have other ingredients that add even more environmental consequences. They have public health consequences too. But of course to ban sugary drinks would cut into the realm of personal choice right? After all people may choose to want a sugary beverage. So no one argues that case. Still it's weird to draw the line at bottled water and not further along. I used to live near a council area (Manly City Council) that banned bottled water. It meant you could only buy sugary drinks at the local corner store. Go to the beach and forget your water bottle? You better like Coca-Cola because that's all they'll sell you! I'm not opposed to encouraging people to use a re-usable container. But i am opposed to a ban on something that's far better than the alternatives that remain unbanned.

tayo42 6y ago
The better ban would be to ban drinks sold in single use containers. > ban sugary drinks would cut into the realm of personal choice right? if you're talking about environmental effects then its no longer a personal choice issue.
caturopath 6y ago
Soft drinks, booze, etc. are really harmful, but at least they have a value add that makes shipping them around coherent. Bottled water is a different matter. Obviously we should be discouraging the use of soda and alcohol and such.
josho 6y ago
> Go to the beach and forget your water bottle? You better like Coca-Cola because that's all they'll sell you! Your comment reveals your age. The parent and myself are old enough to remember a time when you could go to numerous public places and drink from a water fountain. It also showcases just how far we've fallen as a society and have settled to create profit seeking solutions at the expense of what is best for society.
- aksss 6y ago

crazygringo 6y ago

It's really very simple to understand, even if you think it's wrong. Soda, juice, etc. were sold in bottles which normalized it. Then people wanted to be healthier and so putting water in a bottle at events/meetings felt like providing a healthy choice to people, directly next to the unhealthy choices. Plus the water in small bottles could be kept cold in ice more easily. Also sparkling water already needed to be in bottles, so it seems even more natural to have still water next to it in the same way too. People in some parts of the country also realized the bottled water tasted better than their local highly chlorinated tap water. (Other parts of the country there's no difference.) The industry didn't even have to convince anyone. It's genuinely consumer-led. And refillable containers have their own disadvantages. It's not always easy to lug one around the office as you juggle your laptop and documents and phone, or you forget it in another conference room, etc. It's easy to keep in a backpack, but people aren't usually lugging their backpack to every meeting or to the cafeteria. I'm not defending single-use water bottles... but sometimes I do wonder if all the materials+energy spent on refillable bottles has actually turned into a huge net loss, as so many of them go unused, lost or thrown out long before they'd achieve a net positive.

qntty 6y ago
> The industry didn't even have to convince anyone. It's genuinely consumer-led. And yet they spent millions doing just that when research showed that people had no interest in buying it: https://priceonomics.com/the-ad-campaign-that-convinced-americans-to-pay/ https://priceonomics.com/the-ad-campaign-that-convinced-amer...

forgotmypw17 6y ago

I am fregan for environmental reasons, among others. I get much of my food out of dumpsters. I don't buy any clothes, like, ever, only hand-me-downs. I don't ride in a car unless it's already going that way. Several years ago, I paid a couple hundred bucks to get my municipal water (large U.S. city) tested in a lab. After seeing the results, I almost never drink tap water, and I buy a gallon of spring water (in clear plastic) on most days for my own use.

elliottkember 6y ago
Would you care to share what the results were?
chubot 6y ago
Why not use a water filter and glassware? That's what I've done at home for 15+ years. I think many workplaces also have filtered water, including every place of worked at (although not everyone uses it). The "water cooler" was a really good solution!
- nip180 6y ago
  I’m not the parent comment, but many undesirable things are not caught by the common carbon water filters. Specifically it does very little for bacteria, viruses, and other organic compounds.
- forgotmypw17 6y ago
  Indeed, sibling comment is correct in that, unless you invest in a serious filter, it won't filter out much except sediment.
  - chubot 6y ago
    Is bottled water better? I remember a TV report long ago specifically saying it's worse in that regard. Anyway, I've been drinking filtered tap for 15+ years all over the United States -- never had a problem and tastes great.