Category Archives:plastic

14
Nov

How much water does it take to make bottled water?

Bottled Water

This might seem like a silly question, right? After all, we are talking about a bottle of water. Isn't the answer right there in the question?

The thing about producing bottled water is that not only are there wasteful (and toxic!) plastic and unhealthy carbon emissions to consider, but bottled water production actually uses a lot of water.

Bottled Water by the Numbers

NPR's The Salt dove into the bottled water issue recently, sharing some numbers from the International Bottled Water Association (IBA), who claims it takes 1.34 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water. So according to them it takes about 30 percent more water than just turning on the tap.

Thirty percent more might not sound that bad, but remember: the IBA is a lobby group for the bottled water industry. Trusting their numbers is like trusting Monsanto when they tell you that GMOs are safe or trusting McDonald's when they say they are helping their workers. What the IBA's number leaves out is all of the water used in the supply chain. Here are some examples of the bottled water supply chain:

  • sourcing that water
  • moving it from the source to the bottling plant
  • sourcing the plastic for those bottles
  • making bottles from the plastic
  • creating labels and adhering them to the bottles
  • bottling the water
  • shipping those bottles to your store

When you take all of that into account,

NPR quotes Ertug Ercin from the Water Footprint Network who says:

"Packaging makes a significant footprint," he says, adding that three liters of water might be used to make a half-liter bottle. In other words, the amount of water going into making the bottle could be up to six or seven times what's inside the bottle.

Drilling for oil to make plastic, Ercin says, uses a substantial amount of groundwater. And you need water to make the paper, too, he adds. (emphasis mine)

Ercin does concede that producing bottled water is a bit less water-intensive than producing soda, because soda uses all of those resources plus the resources needed to make dyes, produce sugars and add carbonation.

So what's the best choice when it comes to staying hydrated? Good old tap water. If you're worried about the tap water quality on the road, there are water bottles out there that include a built-in filter! A little digging turned up this stainless steel filtered water bottle from Ecoflo, for example.

What do you think about the water footprint of bottled water? Does the IBA's 30 percent sound accurate, or does the WFN's six to seven times seem more correct?

Image Credit: Remixed Creative Commons photo by ToddMorris

Posted:   |   Categories: bottled water, Living, News+Opinion, plastic, Water, water bottles, water footprint
0
02
Aug

4 DIY Alternatives to Plastic

DIY Mesh Grocery Bags

Do your part to reduce plastic pollution with these alternatives to plastic that you can make yourself!

Plastic pollution is strangling aquatic life and polluting our waterways. Sure, you can recycle a lot of your plastic waste, but each time plastic is recycled you end up with a lower quality plastic. That means that eventually that plastic water bottle or food container is headed to the landfill, even if it does make a few pit stops as recycled plastic products along the way.

Avoiding plastic can feel nearly impossible, though, can't it? The stuff is everywhere! Want to get rid of some of the disposable plastic in your day to day? Check out these DIY, reusable alternatives to plastic disposables!

1. Grocery Totes

Bringing your own bag to the store is like green 101, but I think it bears repeating, especially if you're considering buying reusable bags. Many of those reusable grocery totes at the store checkout are made from - you guessed it - plastic. Instead of shelling out cash for yet another piece of plastic, check out this tutorial for making your own reusable mesh grocery bag from an old t-shirt!

2. Produce Bags

Reusable shopping bags are pretty common, but when you're shopping for fresh produce you often end up with those flimsy plastic produce bags, which are not even recyclable. It's easy as pie to make your own reusable produce bags instead!

Reusable Snack Bag

3. Reusable Snack Bags

Disposable plastic baggies, no more! With super basic sewing skills, anyone can create simple, reusable snack bags for packing things like chips, nuts, pretzels, and even sandwiches (as long as they're not super messy). Head over to my personal site, Glue and Glitter, for my snack bag tutorial!

4. Mason Jar To Go Cups

Who needs disposable plastic water bottles or even soda pops with a plastic lid and straw? It's much easier than you might think to make your own to go cup from a simple mason jar. Instead of a plastic straw, pick yourself up a dishwasher safe glass straw for sustainable sipping.

What crafts have you made to replace single-use plastic with reusable alternatives? Share your tips and ideas in the comments!

Posted:   |   Categories: alternatives to plastic, DIY, Living, plastic, plastic alternatives, single use plastic
0
02
Aug

4 DIY Alternatives to Plastic

DIY Mesh Grocery Bags

Do your part to reduce plastic pollution with these alternatives to plastic that you can make yourself!

Plastic pollution is strangling aquatic life and polluting our waterways. Sure, you can recycle a lot of your plastic waste, but each time plastic is recycled you end up with a lower quality plastic. That means that eventually that plastic water bottle or food container is headed to the landfill, even if it does make a few pit stops as recycled plastic products along the way.

Avoiding plastic can feel nearly impossible, though, can't it? The stuff is everywhere! Want to get rid of some of the disposable plastic in your day to day? Check out these DIY, reusable alternatives to plastic disposables!

1. Grocery Totes

Bringing your own bag to the store is like green 101, but I think it bears repeating, especially if you're considering buying reusable bags. Many of those reusable grocery totes at the store checkout are made from - you guessed it - plastic. Instead of shelling out cash for yet another piece of plastic, check out this tutorial for making your own reusable mesh grocery bag from an old t-shirt!

2. Produce Bags

Reusable shopping bags are pretty common, but when you're shopping for fresh produce you often end up with those flimsy plastic produce bags, which are not even recyclable. It's easy as pie to make your own reusable produce bags instead!

Reusable Snack Bag

3. Reusable Snack Bags

Disposable plastic baggies, no more! With super basic sewing skills, anyone can create simple, reusable snack bags for packing things like chips, nuts, pretzels, and even sandwiches (as long as they're not super messy). Head over to my personal site, Glue and Glitter, for my snack bag tutorial!

4. Mason Jar To Go Cups

Who needs disposable plastic water bottles or even soda pops with a plastic lid and straw? It's much easier than you might think to make your own to go cup from a simple mason jar. Instead of a plastic straw, pick yourself up a dishwasher safe glass straw for sustainable sipping.

What crafts have you made to replace single-use plastic with reusable alternatives? Share your tips and ideas in the comments!

Posted:   |   Categories: alternatives to plastic, DIY, Living, plastic, plastic alternatives, single use plastic
0
16
May

5 Ways to Replace Single Use Plastic

Reusable Snack Bag

Single use plastic is a scourge on our environment, yet we continue to produce and use plastic products that are designed to head straight to the landfill after we use them just one time. Products like plastic straws and baggies are so ingrained in our culture, many of us can't imagine not using them in our day-to-day.

The problem is, all of that convenience is destroying fragile ecosystems and harming our health at the same time.

Many plastic products, like Ziplock bags are not recyclable, because the plastic is of too low a quality. Instead, they're landfill-bound, but often they don't make it that far. Whether they fall off of a trash truck or someone carelessly tosses them on the ground, those plastics make their way into waterways and eventually to the ocean where they become part of one of the huge plastic gyres. These gyres are massive areas of the ocean that are too polluted to support life.

Plastic is no good for our bodies, either. Plasticizers like BPA leach into food and water that they come into contact with. These chemicals are often untested, so we don't full know how they'll impact our health. Others are endocrine disruptors or even carcinogens. No, thank you!

Any time you replace a disposable option with a reusable one, you're making a huge impact on your health and the health of this planet. Here are a few simple ways that you can replace single use plastic with reusable alternatives.

1. Reusable Snack Bag

Just say no to wasteful plastic baggies! There are lots of companies making reusable snack bags, or you can make your own reusable snack bag!

2. Cloth Diapers

You might not think of disposable diapers as a plastic product, but those Huggies use a layer of plastic on the outside to prevent leaks. Cloth diapers have a hefty price tag initially, but you buy them once, and you're set! Compare that to the cost of buying disposables over and over, and you're not only reducing your plastic waste but saving between $900 and $1900 during your child's diaper-wearing years!

embellished glass straws

3. Glass Straws

Of course, you can skip the straw all together when you're grabbing a drink on the go, but if you don't want to give up your sipping habit, choose a reusable glass straw instead! Most glass straws are dishwasher safe, so they're easy to care for. They're also way cuter than clear disposable straws!

4. Picnic Ware

Next time you're heading to the park for a picnic, pack yourself some proper utensils instead of disposable plastic ones. If you're traveling and don't want to carry dirty dishes with you, opt for more sustainable disposables made from wood or bamboo instead of plastic.

5. To-Go Cups

When you head out to the coffee shop for that next latte, bring your own cup! The cup they put your coffee in may be made from paper, but those paper cups usually have a plastic coating to prevent leaks, and they come with a single use plastic lid. Boo!

What other ways can we replace disposable plastic products with reusable alternatives? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

photos by Becky Striepe

Posted:   |   Categories: 5 gyres, Food+Drink, instead of plastic, Living, pacific gyre, plastic, replacing plastic, reusables, Shopping+Services, single use plastic
0