Since the second grade, I’ve wondered what exactly one should do to save the planet from bad things like global warming, pollution, and animal extinction. It was during that glorious year of childish ignorance and midday gummy snacks that I first learned about the benefits of recycling. Before then, my parents had simply taught me to put bottles and paper in the separate bins, and that was that. However, after a class field trip to the local recycling plant and subsequent activities promoting proper waste disposal around the community, I learned why I needed to recycle. At the risk of sounding clichéd or hypocritical, I want to stress to the entire Choate community that recycling really does work. In fact, it is probably the simplest but surest way the average American today can positively impact the world of tomorrow.
At first, the whole recycling process seems both pointless and somewhat unclean. What difference does one plastic bottle thrown in the trash make? A few grams of plastic seems like nothing compared to the 110 million tons of it produced every year worldwide. However, up to 90% of plastic water bottles go directly to waste in landfills and the natural world. There the plastic remains, non-biodegradable and potentially harmful, scarring the face of the Earth for lifetimes to come. Whole ecosystems are devastated by the presence of plastic shards and particles in the food chain that larger consumers depend on for survival. Perhaps the image of a deer nibbling on leaves littered with indigestible and possibly toxic plastic waste isn’t enough to push you into action. Maybe you’re skeptical about where recycled bottles really end up, or you simply don’t want to bother finding the nearest recycling container when trashcans are so much more common. Whatever the case, here are a few facts that I hope will make all of us (myself included) think twice about bottled water and disposal of bottles:
Recycling does more than save just the environment. Believe it or not, recycling saves many companies millions of dollars, and efficient reuse of plastic conserves oil and water. According to TreeHugger.com, approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil (7% to 8% of the world’s annual oil production) are used each year as raw material and fuel energy for manufacturing and transporting of plastics. In addition, two gallons of water are wasted in purification for each gallon that goes into the bottles.
Currently, recycling also creates 1.1 million jobs in the U.S., or roughly four jobs for every one created in waste management and disposal, according to Recycling-Revolution.com. As more and more people recycle, the industry grows larger and creates more employment opportunities while the process itself actually becomes cheaper.
Tap water in the U.S. is as safe as, or safer than, bottled water. The national standards for the quality of tap water are stricter than those for bottled. If tap water “tastes funny” to you, this is probably because it is purer than the bottled water you’re used to. According to Bottledwaterblues.com, roughly 40% of bottled water is little more than tap water with added minerals that have no proven health benefits.
Bottled water costs up to 10,000 times more than tap water, according to TreeHugger.com. Over 90% of the cost of bottled water is in the actual bottle, label, and title, reported Bottledwaterblues.com. In other words, unless you’re starting an exhibit of water bottles in your room, most of your money goes to waste as soon as you throw the bottle away.
Nature recycles. Not only is the process natural, it is also the only means by which the Earth cleans and restores itself from our destructive impact. Anything that prevents nature from going about its natural processes—such as the improper disposal of millions and millions of plastic bottles—serves only to make the condition of the Earth worse.
Sure, plastic bottles are convenient for travel. But why turn exclusively to bottled water when a reusable container serves the same function without damaging the environment or draining your wallet? Why trust a particular brand of water when that company is ripping you off by selling the same water that runs in the sinks of your dorm? As responsible human beings, we must end our dependency on bottled water if we hope to preserve the world for future generations. I'm not advocating choosing soda over water the next time you buy a drink. I am, however, urging everyone at Choate to start noticing his or her particular habits when it comes to water consumption and disposal of plastic bottles. Realize the impact of even the smallest choices you make and ask yourself if they are worth it.
