Why do we buy bottled water?

In a panel discussion at the Brisbane World Science Festival, we heard that consumers buy 6 billion waters of water annually in Queensland alone.

Guy Hawkins, professor of social and cultural theory at Western Sydney University, who is studying the "fast-growing" water market, said that about 22% of the waste collected during the annual coastal purification process is pet It was a waste of the bottle.

Professor Hawkins said, "We are very lucky in Australia, live in a country with an effective and efficient government and obligation to provide safe water."

Panels heard that people often can not drink tap water because of the presence of chemicals, especially chlorine and fluoride.

Fluoride in drinking water is controversial and several community groups raised concerns about their high dose toxicity

Dr. Frederic Leusch, a soil and water expert, said the tap water filter can remove chlorine but does not guarantee its effectiveness against fluoride.

"There is some evidence that it may not be as healthy as chlorine, which is indeed toxic, so the recommendation from the American Water Environment Research Foundation is certainly to use filters," Dr. Leusch said.

He said that Australia has a healthy group against fluoride, but when asked if the filter removes fluoride, he said that it is not the case

Water purchased at this store is also in contact with chemical substances, but according to plastics, depending on the chemical substances it may be submerged in water if it is placed in high temperature for a long time.

"The longer the water remains in the plastic, the more likely that the chemicals in the plastic will dissolve in the water," he said.

Retail expert Gary Mortimer told the panel that buying bottled water is often a more convenient option when buying tap water and that marketing may also affect consumer spending decisions.

He says that consumers' awareness of products has changed by using words such as "pure" or "best in nature" or by displaying snow-covered mountains on packaging.

Mr. Mortimer says that: "As a marketer, it can not be said that the brand's" water bottle "gives better nutrition than the brand" b ".

"As a reasonable consumer, you say" In fact, the water from my faucet will not bring me humidity. " "

Unfortunately, mineral water makers do not admit it, but convenience is one of the main reasons people buy mineral water. We live in a vibrant society where ordinary people are very flexible on a typical day. When thirsty, buying bottled water makes it easier to solve our thirst problem, because pouring tap water into a reusable bottle has some effort and It is because we need a plan. However, understanding the shortcomings of all mineral water can overcome this "laziness". Drinking water dispensers and "resurrection" of social movements may also help

Most people in the United States can use tap water, but families buying mineral water and tap water will not run short. The reasons for buying mineral water are various - they do not like the taste and smell of tap water so some people buy it. As happened in Flint, Michigan, health problems are related to public water pollution, so others buy it. There is no doubt that pollution is one of the biggest problems facing today's environment and the bottle of water thrown after each disposable contributed greatly to its constantly increasing accumulation.

I stop buying mineral water. Please take your drink home from a reusable bottle and replenish it from the faucet instead of the convenience store. There are high-quality water everywhere in the US, but we spend millions of dollars on the water in disposable plastic containers, and only a few bottles can be recycled. Recycling Recycling paper, cans and bottles should be an easy habit - recycle bottles for these items are easy to purchase in most places. Is there a recycling station nearby? Take the bottle of wine home. But what about old plastic toys, cups, dishes, buckets, furniture? Talk to your local recycler: you may be surprised at the range of items they accept. There are also applications that help you find nearby places to recycle waste like iRecycle or 1800 Recycle.