Environment
Polluting the planet
The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management has recently raised serious questions about the quality, labelling, advertising and environmental cost of bottled water. Nick Reeves, Executive Director of the CIWEM summarised the findings: "Branding and bottling of water where there already exists a wholesome and safe supply of mains drinking water can not be seen as a sustainable use of natural resources, and adds to the overall levels of waste and pollution to be anaged in modern society." "Bottled water marketing has driven a public perception of such products as purer or healthier than water from the tap. Such perceptions are unfounded”.
A recent study calculated that the bottled water industry in the UK generated annually about 33,200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions through transport - equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 6,000 homes. Britons purchase 1.5 billion litres of water each year from bottles made out of polyethylene terephthalate or PET - a plastic made out of crude oil extracts. Only about 10 per cent of the bottles are recycled. Most go to landfill, where they take 450 years to break down.
Its not only an environmental cost…
At an average of 95p per litre, bottled water costs as much as petrol, while the average cost of mains-fed water in the UK is £1 per 10,000 litres or £0.0001 per litre. Put another way, you could fill around 50 cups of water from one of our coolers for around 1 pence!
And for those of you who have any doubts about the quality of UK mains-fed water…
Well, basically, get over yourselves and get informed! Drinking water quality in England and Wales is among the best in the world. The Drinking Water Inspectorate reported this year that tap water has hit a new quality high in England with 99.96% of tests meeting the high standards set by the UK and European drinking water quality regulations. This includes objective analytical results from almost 4.5 million tests on drinking water quality taken over the year. The results reflect the investment of £2.3 billion made by the industry on improvements at treatment works and the rehabilitation or replacement of water mains from 2000 to 2005.
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