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The whole bottled beverage industry is incredibly wasteful. Why do we need to transport gallons of tap water or sugar water just so it can be sold to individua

by wyre 4y ago

The whole bottled beverage industry is incredibly wasteful. Why do we need to transport gallons of tap water or sugar water just so it can be sold to individuals for a gigantic markup? I’d love to see a warning label on products “Contains microplastics that may increase risk of health problems” similar to cigarette warnings.

gruez 4y ago
>Why do we need to transport gallons of tap water or sugar water just so it can be sold to individuals for a gigantic markup? tap water: because you're out and about and didn't have the foresight or didn't want to bring a bottle with you, so you buy a bottle on site and drink from that. I doubt many people are buying bottled water to drink at home. sugar water: because people like the taste of sugar water, and plastic bottles is the best way to deliver said carbonated sugar water to the consumer. >I’d love to see a warning label on products “Contains microplastics that may increase risk of health problems” similar to cigarette warnings. The fact that bottled water contains a wide array of microplastics, some of which aren't used in single use beverage bottles, makes me think the microplastics are coming from the water supply, rather than from the plastic bottle itself. If that's the case, you'd need to add a warning for tap water as well, as well as every sort of food that is made using tap water (probably every food ever). That'd just lead to a prop 65 situation[1] where everything has that warning and it gets tuned out. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_California_Proposition_65 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_California_Proposition_65
- xyzzy_plugh 4y ago
  > I doubt many people are buying bottled water to drink at home. Boy, do I have some bad news for you.
- DharmaPolice 4y ago
  >I doubt many people are buying bottled water to drink at home. No offence meant but you're really out of touch here.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - gruez 4y ago
    That statement is based on my experience living in a major city. I don't think anyone in my office drinks bottled flat water. That said I did some research and it does seem to be the case that a significant portion of Americans drink "only" or "mostly" bottled water. https://www.statista.com/statistics/973987/us-consumer-behavior-tap-filtered-bottled-water/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/973987/us-consumer-behav...
- crysin 4y ago
  I have a family member who exclusively drinks water from plastic bottles, at home. Does not trust the tap water nor even when it's filtered through the refrigerator. Yes they know the water in the bottle is also tap water, doesn't stop them.
- wyre 4y ago
  >buy a bottle on site and drink from that. Then replace the single-use bottles with reusable ones like stores have done with bags. >plastic bottles is the best way to deliver Soda fountains, cans, at-home carbonation are all just as good if not better. >microplastics are coming from the water supply What? Water does not naturally contain microplastics. The microplastics come from plastic, not from water. Why do you have such an interest in defending the bottle beverage industry?
  - gruez 4y ago
    >Then replace the single-use bottles with reusable ones like stores have done with bags. What realistically happens is that we end up with thicker "reusable" bottles that end only being used once. This is basically what happened in cities that banned single use plastic takeout containers. Restaurants replaced them with "reusable" containers (think the plastic ones used for mealprep), that end up being chucked after a single use. The whole situation is worse than before because the "reusable" containers use more plastic and therefore have a larger ecological footprint than the thinner/disposable ones. >Soda fountains Most restaurants do have them, for cost reasons. However, they're not really feasible for small scale operations (eg. food trucks) and/or remote areas. >cans They're not recloseable, which presents a big problem for large portion sizes. Also they don't seem to be available in sizes larger than 12oz for carbonated drinks (maybe they don't scale well?). > at-home carbonation are all just as good if not better. They're only really economical if you're a frequent drinker. Otherwise it will take forever for you to recoup the cost of the unit. There are other issues with it as well. The syrup for those aren't "name brand", which puts off some people. Also, IME you lose quite a bit of fizz when mixing the syrup with the carbonated water (they tell you to carbonate the water first, then add the syrup). >What? Water does not naturally contain microplastics. The microplastics come from plastic, not from water. Water might not "naturally contain microplastics" in the sense that they didn't contain microplastics a few hundred years ago, but nowadays microplastics are everywhere to the extent that you can assume almost everything contains microplastic. From the article: "Microplastics in bottled water may affect the health of millions of people, and they show their presence worldwide. Before, experts detected their prevalence in the world’s oceans, where more than five trillion pieces of plastics swim about" see also: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/microplastics-found-90-percent-table-salt-sea-salt https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/micro... >Why do you have such an interest in defending the bottle beverage industry? Why do you have such an interest in questioning other commenter's motivations?
pxeboot 4y ago
Unfortunately, almost everything would need that label, rendering it meaningless, like the California cancer warnings. Even the best tap water likely flows through miles of plastic pipe before it reaches your home.
- wyre 4y ago
  I’d still support the labeling. I like seeing prop 65 on things as it helps me reflect on my consumerism (and when I notice it on foodstuffs).

by wyre 4y ago

gruez 4y ago

>Why do we need to transport gallons of tap water or sugar water just so it can be sold to individuals for a gigantic markup? tap water: because you're out and about and didn't have the foresight or didn't want to bring a bottle with you, so you buy a bottle on site and drink from that. I doubt many people are buying bottled water to drink at home. sugar water: because people like the taste of sugar water, and plastic bottles is the best way to deliver said carbonated sugar water to the consumer. >I’d love to see a warning label on products “Contains microplastics that may increase risk of health problems” similar to cigarette warnings. The fact that bottled water contains a wide array of microplastics, some of which aren't used in single use beverage bottles, makes me think the microplastics are coming from the water supply, rather than from the plastic bottle itself. If that's the case, you'd need to add a warning for tap water as well, as well as every sort of food that is made using tap water (probably every food ever). That'd just lead to a prop 65 situation[1] where everything has that warning and it gets tuned out. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_California_Proposition_65 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_California_Proposition_65

xyzzy_plugh 4y ago
> I doubt many people are buying bottled water to drink at home. Boy, do I have some bad news for you.
DharmaPolice 4y ago
>I doubt many people are buying bottled water to drink at home. No offence meant but you're really out of touch here.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- gruez 4y ago
  That statement is based on my experience living in a major city. I don't think anyone in my office drinks bottled flat water. That said I did some research and it does seem to be the case that a significant portion of Americans drink "only" or "mostly" bottled water. https://www.statista.com/statistics/973987/us-consumer-behavior-tap-filtered-bottled-water/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/973987/us-consumer-behav...
crysin 4y ago
I have a family member who exclusively drinks water from plastic bottles, at home. Does not trust the tap water nor even when it's filtered through the refrigerator. Yes they know the water in the bottle is also tap water, doesn't stop them.
wyre 4y ago
>buy a bottle on site and drink from that. Then replace the single-use bottles with reusable ones like stores have done with bags. >plastic bottles is the best way to deliver Soda fountains, cans, at-home carbonation are all just as good if not better. >microplastics are coming from the water supply What? Water does not naturally contain microplastics. The microplastics come from plastic, not from water. Why do you have such an interest in defending the bottle beverage industry?
- gruez 4y ago
  >Then replace the single-use bottles with reusable ones like stores have done with bags. What realistically happens is that we end up with thicker "reusable" bottles that end only being used once. This is basically what happened in cities that banned single use plastic takeout containers. Restaurants replaced them with "reusable" containers (think the plastic ones used for mealprep), that end up being chucked after a single use. The whole situation is worse than before because the "reusable" containers use more plastic and therefore have a larger ecological footprint than the thinner/disposable ones. >Soda fountains Most restaurants do have them, for cost reasons. However, they're not really feasible for small scale operations (eg. food trucks) and/or remote areas. >cans They're not recloseable, which presents a big problem for large portion sizes. Also they don't seem to be available in sizes larger than 12oz for carbonated drinks (maybe they don't scale well?). > at-home carbonation are all just as good if not better. They're only really economical if you're a frequent drinker. Otherwise it will take forever for you to recoup the cost of the unit. There are other issues with it as well. The syrup for those aren't "name brand", which puts off some people. Also, IME you lose quite a bit of fizz when mixing the syrup with the carbonated water (they tell you to carbonate the water first, then add the syrup). >What? Water does not naturally contain microplastics. The microplastics come from plastic, not from water. Water might not "naturally contain microplastics" in the sense that they didn't contain microplastics a few hundred years ago, but nowadays microplastics are everywhere to the extent that you can assume almost everything contains microplastic. From the article: "Microplastics in bottled water may affect the health of millions of people, and they show their presence worldwide. Before, experts detected their prevalence in the world’s oceans, where more than five trillion pieces of plastics swim about" see also: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/microplastics-found-90-percent-table-salt-sea-salt https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/micro... >Why do you have such an interest in defending the bottle beverage industry? Why do you have such an interest in questioning other commenter's motivations?

pxeboot 4y ago

Unfortunately, almost everything would need that label, rendering it meaningless, like the California cancer warnings. Even the best tap water likely flows through miles of plastic pipe before it reaches your home.

wyre 4y ago
I’d still support the labeling. I like seeing prop 65 on things as it helps me reflect on my consumerism (and when I notice it on foodstuffs).