Bottled water

[rareboy]

We have such incredible well water on our farm that I can't imagine drinking flat water out of a plastic bottle.

Having said that, when the idiots doing work out by our barn a few years ago allowed run-off from the fields to contaminate our water supply so that even with UV filtration, it was foul.....we had to buy the big spring water jug.

We actually fill one of these at home to take to the office in town because the well water there is just shite.

 

[jaysizzles]

I thought this seemed applicable to the discussion here. Article basically says that reusing plastic water bottles often times has unsafe levels of bacteria.

Further reading through the article on other types of plastic container reuse, I was happy to see the hard plastic ones I'm reusing for leftovers are considered safe. I never put them in the microwave.

https://www.yahoo.com/health/is-it-safe-to-reuse-plastic-food-containers-122450914272.html

For example, “if you have a very narrow opening, like a soda bottle, it’s essentially impossible to clean effectively, other than pouring a boiling liquid inside to kill all the bacteria,” Halden tells Yahoo Health. “And that would compromise the plastic.” In a 2002 Canadian study, researchers tested water from elementary school students’ water bottles — many of which had been continually refilled without being washed — and found that nearly two-thirds of the samples contained enough bacteria to be rendered unfit for consumption.

At home I'm a Brita filter user, but have been known to wash out and reuse plastic water bottles a few times. I probably only buy a case of 24 each year. But, I'm not so likely to reuse any longer...just return for my 5 cent deposit. Usually on a reused water bottle the label would come off after washing and reuse, so I'd be out the deposit...or I'd toss it in the garbage/recycle bin at the place I brought it. Kind of dumb when I think about it. For those times I'm just gonna use the refillable type that is stashed in the back of my cupboard.

 

[gsdx]

I thought this seemed applicable to the discussion here. Article basically says that reusing plastic water bottles often times has unsafe levels of bacteria.

I read that, too, in 2 different articles. People tend just to rinse them out, but don't wash them properly, leaving infinitely more bacteria in the bottles than are in the water that comes out of their taps.

 

[RRUGER]

Yea, it's bullshit. Why pay a whole lot extra for the same water that comes out of the tap?
It's a huge blatant scam, and sheep eat it all up. What next, bottled air? Will people be walking around with oxygen masks breathing bottled air even though they live in a place with some of the cleanest air in the world?

Giving in to bottled water is no different than believing those Nigerian prince emails.

so tap water in some areas dont have sodium fluoride?

 

[T-Rexx]

I buy bottled water occasionally when I am biking.

About 10 miles from home, the bottle with which I started is usually gone, and I am dehydrated enough to want more. I suppose I could just start with more water onboard, but it is a pain to carry and it gets warm.

 

[frankfrank]

OK, though, how do you effectively clean out a gallon jug?

Some parts of it, inside, just can't be reached.

 

[zoltanspawn]

OK, though, how do you effectively clean out a gallon jug?

Put in some hot water and soap. (There are lots of different kinds of plastic. I would research them before considering the value of cleaning.)

Shake and drain. If performed regularly, direct mechanical cleaning shouldn't be needed.

Rinse.

Put in some bleach water, at about a ratio of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Shake and drain.

Don't rinse and let dry.

(If you have aristocratic olfactory senses, you may need to subsequently rinse the container several times and perhaps consider the purchase of trace minerals for delicate sensibilities.)

(I would never actually do this, I'm not a germaphobe, and unless you have special health considerations this seems like a real bother.)

 

[Willie Boy]

They also make those brushes designed specifically to help scrub bottles of all kinds. What do they call them..... Oh right, bottle brushes. With some hot water and detergent they get the job done.

 

[dpnice]

OK, though, how do you effectively clean out a gallon jug?

Some parts of it, inside, just can't be reached.

How about just swirling boiling water around inside it after each use.

 

[Willie Boy]

How about just swirling boiling water around inside it after each use.

That would melt the plastic jug.

 

[dpnice]

That would melt the plastic jug.

Nit picker.

I assumed that gallon jars were made of glass.

 

[Willie Boy]

Nit picker.

I assumed that gallon jars were made of glass.

They haven't sold bottled water in glass....... ever. Sodas and such, yeah they used to be sold in glass bottles, never gallon sized. Iced coffee drinks yeah, they're still sold in glass, but water no.

 

[dpnice]

They haven't sold bottled water in glass....... ever. Sodas and such, yeah they used to be sold in glass bottles, never gallon sized. Iced coffee drinks yeah, they're still sold in glass, but water no.

Perrier?

Plenty of other brands sold in glass bottles here in France.

 

[LeicsDom]

They haven't sold bottled water in glass....... ever.

Water always got sold in glass when it first came over to UK
Even today Fiizzy water is still sold in glass
When I go on holiday to Gran Canaria the water is often sold in glass, not always I grant you

 

[lambdaboy]

I pay the Equivalent of $15 a month for a machine that sits on the kitchen counter ice called water and boiling water. Twice a year the massive filter and UV light are sent to me to change them out. It is plumbed into the water and it is fantastic. If I go to a restaurant or take anyone out I never pay for bottled water. They can I won; live in London but having lived in NY and L.A. the tap water is fine there. I know there are people in places were fracking is done that can not go hear there tap water.

 

[Willie Boy]

Perrier?

Plenty of other brands sold in glass bottles here in France.

Water always got sold in glass when it first came over to UK
Even today Fiizzy water is still sold in glass
When I go on holiday to Gran Canaria the water is often sold in glass, not always I grant you

Leave it to the bloody Europeans to get it wrong!

 

[SaskGuy]

I keep my water in a glass liquor bottle with the label peeled off, but I don't take it out in public for obvious reasons haha... but I like keeping water in a glass container. It keeps it colder, it's sealed (so you don't get that nasty fridge taste), and unlike plastic bottles, it's actually re-useable! Plastic bottles should not be re-used, even if you clean them because chemicals will leach into the water over time.

 

[GreyUnderscore]

I keep my water in a glass liquor bottle with the label peeled off, but I don't take it out in public for obvious reasons haha... but I like keeping water in a glass container. It keeps it colder, it's sealed (so you don't get that nasty fridge taste), and unlike plastic bottles, it's actually re-useable! Plastic bottles should not be re-used, even if you clean them because chemicals will leach into the water over time.

Oh yeah and you can definitely taste it when you do reuse the plastic bottle. I bought a reusable water bottle and it's with me throughout the day.

 

[thewiz]

Just because there is no deposit on a used water bottle doesn't mean that it's not recyclable.

But, if a bottled water company moves into a city and ships tons of water out, doesn't that push the water bill/rates/cost up for the locals? I hope those cities have the water to spare.

Many cities would love to have a water bottling plant for a number of reasons (provided they have ample supply). The first would be the tax base that a facility would provide; second would be employment; and third is that they are largely a "clean industry" for the most part.

I, however, hate bottled water -- not the contents but the resulting debris and pollution. When the hubby and I did crew out of the Anacostia Boat House, there were times when islands of cast-off bottles from tourists and residents prohibited us from rowing (we actually beached once on a plastic island). I watch as tourists dispose of the bottles down storm drains; I guess they think the plastic will magically melt when it is underground versus in a trash container. When I lived in Michigan, the bottled water companies fought a deposit bill. Personally, I think there should be a 5 or 10 cent deposit on each bottle because it would encourage recycling or clean-up by people wanting to cash in on the millions of cast offs.

And most of the "mountain stream or spring waters" sold on shelves comes from municipal supplies or companies with their own wells. When I was city manager, people used to bitch and moan when we increased water rates to 90 cents per thousand gallons of usage (I think it is now $2 in the city I managed). Even still, that's about $40 per quarter for 20,000 gallons. Now multiply the 8 ounces you get in a plastic bottle and see how many gallons you get. I believe gasoline is cheaper.

 

[mbamike]

For me, bottled water is a convenience when traveling. I rather drink bottled water than a soda.