GLASS REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES

I always use glass reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles. I bought mine from a supermarket for around 10 RON (2,46 USD), and I have been using it for months! 🙂

Why should you use a glass water bottle?

• It is reusable.

You might not know, but the plastic bottles you buy at the supermarket are for single use only. After that, you are supposed to throw them away (I mean recycle :P) because bacteria can grow in the bottles after they are opened. Also, if your plastic bottle is deteriorated from repeated use, chemicals from its composition may get into the water that you drink. [1]

• You can wash it.

I bet this has happened to you at least once: you are using your plastic bottle for the fifth or sixth time. You open the cap, try to drink from it, but you suddenly stop, due to the disgusting smell it has. Well, that smell is caused by the bacteria on the mouth of the bottle. Now, does that mean that glass bottles don’t have bacteria? Yes, they do, but you can wash the glass bottle with soap and water, and it will be as good as new, just like a regular glass. It does not get deteriorated (or smelly) as fast as the plastic one.

• You can use it for a long period of time

All you have to do is take care not to accidentally break it. Now think about all the money that you are saving this way! You pay 10 RON (2,46 USD) once, and refill your bottle several times, instead of paying 3 RON (0.75 USD) every day.

Why you shouldn’t use plastic bottles:

• Bacteria and fungi

No need to repeat myself – your plastic bottle may be the home of hundreds of thousands of bacteria. [2]

• Chemicals

Plastic bottles do have numerous chemicals in their composition, but there is no good evidence that these chemicals are harmful for humans. [3] But I prefer not to take any risks, since it is such an easy swap to make.

• Pollution

In my latest article I have presented a lot of information about the effects plastic has on the planet and on ourselves. In short, plastic kills millions of marine animals every year and it is slowly making its way up the food chain, which means that it will soon end up inside our bodies.

This is my reusable water bottle:

I first saw it on Pinterest many years ago, and I really loved the way it looks. Now I have found it, and bought it – fancy and eco-friendly at the same time. 😀

The only thing that I have to do is refill it several times a day, and then go home and wash it as I would do with a regular glass or a cup.

I have a water filter both at home and at work, which makes it a lot easier for me to stop buying plastic bottles. The water filter I have in my home has been such an amazing investment! It was pretty expensive but, according to my calculations, I will “get my money back” and actually start saving money after six months, which is amazing! The water filter also makes life a lot easier, both when cooking and when you are thirsty. All you have to do is take a pot, cup or (glass) bottle and fill it up in an instant. Of course, this tip is only for those of you who can afford it and are really interested in  this matter.

If you don’t have access to a water filter or can’t afford installing one in your home, a small improvement that you can make is to buy larger water bottles (5 l or 10 l), in order to reduce the amount of plastic used in their production. You might say that buying a larger water bottle is the same thing as buying several smaller ones. Apparently, it is not the case [4] (think also about the number of bottle caps saved).

Here are your alternatives, ranked worst to best:

1. Buy single use plastic bottles and throw them away – avoid this at all cost.
2. Reuse plastic bottles – still not ideal, since they promote the growth of bacteria inside the bottle.
3. Recycle single use plastic bottles – good, in this way you eliminate the second part of the bottle’s life cycle (which is laying in nature for 1000 years until it decomposes). But you must not forget about the other part, which is the production of that bottle – matter and energy are still being consumed, which is detrimental to the planet. That is why you should not contribute to the production of more plastic bottles, by not buying plastic bottles.
4. Try replacing plastic bottles with glass reusable water bottles. And also reducing the overall use of plastic.
5. Do not buy plastic bottles at all. Use glass and refill your water from springs, water filters or other such facilities.

Make sure to also check out the first article of the series, about the effects plastic has on your life, and let me know what you think about it!

The feedback that I have received so far for that article consists mainly in pessimistic remarks, such as “It is too difficult”, “Nobody will do that other than you” and “There are other more important problems”. But I will keep spreading awareness about the subjects that I consider important and that I have researched, and I will keep creating articles meant to help people grow and improve, in a happy and healthy way. 🙂

A

Resources:

[1] https://www.verywellfit.com/can-i-reuse-my-bottled-water-bottle-3435422

[2] https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/3979133/refill-water-bottles-safe-bacteria/

[3] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-controversies/plastic-bottles-and-food-containers

[4] https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/ask-mr-green/hey-mr-green-do-larger-containers-reduce-packaging-waste

Photos: Pinterest