In addition, because plastic can come in sizes large or small, even the smallest organisms like plankton could be affected. It has been strongly linked to a host of health problems including certain types of cancer, neurological difficulties, early puberty in girls, reduced fertility in women, premature labour, and defects in newborn babies to name a few examples. Plastic water bottles also contain plastic softeners known as phthalates which can also be toxic to the health of the consumer. Some new bottles have indents on them to indicate the number of times they have been reused. Worse yet, any plastic that makes it into the environment will stay in the environment, forever harming wildlife in the future. In fact, most plastic that is littered eventually ends up in the ocean. Did you know that chemicals found in the bottles and in plastic food containers and packaging - can leach out into the contents? Not only do they require a lot of energy to manufacture, but they pollute the environment as well. Researchers found that people who drink exclusively from plastic water bottles consume nearly 90,000 additional microplastics every year compared to people who drink tap water. About 70% of plastic water bottles bought in the U.S. are not recycled, and so end up in the oceans. https://1011-art.blogspot.com/p/ordre-du-monde.html, https://get-green-now.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bottled-Water-Calculations.pdf, 9 Proven Tips to Extend Your EV Battery Lifespan & Prevent Battery Degradation, The Environmental Impact of COVID-19 and its Long-Term Implications, Toxic Wastelands: Transforming Superfund Sites into Publicly Funded Alternative Energy Farms, Car Recycling: Everything You Need to Know (With Statistics), 10 Shocking E-Waste Facts Everyone Should Know. When predators eat prey with plastic in their systems, the plastic gets passed along into the next animal in the food chain. Although several scientific studies have been done into the problems of chemicals found in bottled drinks, there have been various campaigns to undermine the results of the research. Ill have to take a look into writing an article about plastic vs. glass bottled water. The problem is only in water bottles not plastic soda or juice bottles. 2020 Get Green Now. Bottled water companies and beverage producers work together to turn huge profits. In fact, energy is used during the entire lifespan of a plastic bottle: This includes the energy used for transportation, storage, and the final disposal of the bottle. Whatever you do, DO NOT litter! Heres why thats a major problem for humans, the environment, and the animals on our planet. Next to plastic bags, plastic bottles are the most prevalent (and unsightly) source of pollution found on our beaches and shores. Plastic bottles are not biodegradable. In the case of bottled water, the plastic-making process requires over two gallons of water for the purification process of every gallon of water. Pretty bad if you consider the study results. Hi Hugh! Plastic pellets are transported to bottle factories using diesel trucks. If there isnt a recycling bin, throw it in the trash can. BPA is an endocrine disruptor which has been proven to be hazardous to human health . Today, the convenience of disposable water bottles means that we can find bottled water almost everywhere we go. Worse yet, the production of plastic bottles isnt the only time when energy is wasted. One Forbes article describes the situation as a 'chemical witch-hunt'. When a predator like a shark eats those fish, the microplastics are passed on by the fish and accumulate in the body of the shark. They can release potentially harmful chemicals into your water. I have been searching on ways on how to reduce or eliminate these plastics in my society, especially on looking for a convenient means of recycling the plastics into new products. Instead of buying packages of bottled water, you can buy a single reusable bottle to reuse over and over again. The sheer number of plastic bottles sold each day means that many of them end up being improperly disposed of. Its harder to recycle plastic bottles than you think. Plastic items labeled with the recycling numbers 3 and 7 or the letters PC likely contain BPA, BPS, or BPF. Phthalates are also endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to a wide range of developmental and reproductive effects, including reduced sperm count, testicular abnormality and tumors, and gender development issues. Think of the whales and albatrosses and buy fewer plastic products in general, particularly when you know that you are unable to recycle them. Manufacturers of bottled water advertise their products as being of higher quality, purer and safer than tap water, despite the fact that tap water is actually held to more stringent quality standards than bottled water. Hi, I'm Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. So, why exactly is plastic pollution so bad for the environment? Plastic has been demonstrated to leach micro and nanoparticles, Pollute the ecosystem with garbage and greenhouse gases. I would be much please if we can work in collaboration for a sustainable solution to be achieved. For example, lets say that a school of fish accidentally ingests microplastics that were present in ocean water. Why are Plastic Bottles (and Bottled Water) bad for the environment? Fossil fuels are non-renewable, and they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Some brands of bottled water have been found to be tap water in disguise. Obviously, the removal of water resources from an area already prone to drought just makes droughts more likely to occur. Bottling plants also cause problems for the humans who live near them. Anyone Googling "Is BPA dangerous?" Wow, Ive never seen anything like that before. All plastics used in products that Buying a product through my link comes at no extra cost to you, and I only recommend products that I believe in. Plastic bottles are made from a petroleum product known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and they require huge amounts of fossil fuels to both make and transport them. The over-extraction of water resources can change entire habitats and ecosystems, making the area drier and threatening the livelihood of all living things in the area. Bottled drinks also contain phthalates, which are commonly used in the U.S. to make plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible. The plastic then moves with drainage networks or rivers and eventually flows into the ocean. Machines or staff members in stores across take used bottles from customers in exchange for cash payments. The more people who reduce their usage of single-use plastic, the better! The reasons for this confusion are clear. Good: Hygiene. According to Gleick, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is the type of plastic most water bottles Moreover, the process it takes to create a pl Microplastics, too small for us to see, could be present in the fish that we eat! Its no question that theyre bad for the environment. Marine life falls prey to this problem on a daily basis. Instead, a combination of the suns energy and environmental factors like rain will continue to degrade plastic down into smaller and smaller pieces. The FDA does not regulate phthalates or class them as a health hazard due to the supposedly minute amounts present in plastic bottles. They either end up lying stagnant in landfills, leaching dangerous chemicals into the ground, or they infiltrate our streets as litter. When an animal consumes enough plastic, their digestive systems could get clogged up, eventually starving them to death. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Plastic bags are harmful to wildlife and marine life. 10 Products You Didnt Know Contain Animal Ingredients, A Whole Foods Vegan Diet: The Ultimate Guide, The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Meats and Meat Substitutes, Want to Eat Plant-Based but Having Digestion Problems? Together, we can tackle this global plastic problem. Other German towns such as Neustadt an der Weinstrasse prefer to tackle the root of the problem by providing further cash incentives to reduce household waste in the first place. Im glad that you were able to find my article useful! If you are unable to get a reusable water bottle (for whatever reason), or if you forget it once in a while, make sure that you dispose of plastic bottles properly. They Take a Very, Very, Very Long Time to Decompose. This blog covers a variety of topics including plastic pollution, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and much more. The American Chemical Council (ACC) still claims that BPA is safe. The thing is, i need to do a citation for my essay so can i know your second name? Id be interested to read an article on plastic vs glass. The United States, France, Germany, Denmark and Sweden have taken some steps to limit the use of BPA in products. 1. The problem is that most of us use and then toss way more plastic than we need: things like grocery bags, drink bottles, straws, food wrappers, and plastic Heres What Worked for Me, 20 Sweet And Savory Indian Snacks For Your Diwali Celebration, Heres What You Need to Be Eating for Naturally Clear Skin, Photo of Pit Bull Who Used to Be Kept in a Crate and Abused for Fights Proves There Is Always Hope, 25 Meat-Free Main Dishes for Your Thanksgiving Feast, The U.S. is the largest consumer market for bottled water, which plastics your municipality recycles. Of course, the easiest way to solve our plastic problem is to simply stop using single-use plastics like plastic bottles. Learn how your comment data is processed. Great for the Earth but not for Cokes profits. Plastic bottles contain Bisphenol A (BPA), the chemical used to make the plastic hard and clear. Even plastic on land, far from an ocean, eventually gets blown or washed (by rain) into a body of water. You can share this post on social media using the share buttons below. They are found on sidewalks, in parks, front yards and rivers, and even if you chop them into tiny pieces they still take more than a human lifetime to decompose. I really glad if you can help me in this one . Although t Bottled water companies often extract so much water resources that entire lakes or aquifers (lakes and supplies of groundwater) run dry. This article will highlight the reasons why plastic bottles are so bad for the environment, and explain how you can help solve this problem. Nowadays, plastic bottles can be found littered almost anywhere you go. Hi Hugh For a single-use disposable item, thats a lot. TheFood and Drug Administration(FDA) regulates bottled water and theEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA) regulatestap water. Dangers of Plastic Water Bottles. These tiny substances endure in the atmosphere for many years and can disrupt ecosystems and infiltrate food chains, having potentially huge ramifications even for humans. The biggest problems with single-use plastics come when bottles are thrown into landfill or, worse, the ocean, and biodegrade into highly damaging microplastics. It has been found in significant amounts in at-risk groups such as pregnant womens placentas and growing foetuses. Please support us! However, plastic bottles do not biodegrade, so they will remain in our environment forever. In 2010 Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance, with theEuropean Unionclosely following by banning BPA from baby bottles in 2011. Within a few years, plastic bottle waste would be drastically reduced. What is your opinion on bottled water in glass bottles? Yes, that means you! In connection with your action, French artist, I am in the process of making a series of drawings on ocean pollution, made from photographs of plastic particles found on beaches around the world! In the USA, about 76 million barrels of oil are needed to manufacture, transport, store, and dispose of the plastic bottles (for bottled water) used in a single year. A study conducted last year found that 96% of women in the U.S have BPA in their bodies. Water stations are available at the park for visitors to refill their own water bottles. Even one plastic bottle can harm the environment! Plastic bottles are generally cleaner than reusable bottles. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. - Earth-policy.org, Bottled Water: Pouring Resources Down the Drain Cost. Seafood with plastic or toxic chemicals in their bodies could be passed along to humans as well. Although most if not all plastic bottles are made of a plastic called PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which is recyclable, most Americans dont recycle them.