Ban The Water Bottle?

By Max

I just finished reading a blog that was written in Asia. The site had developed quite a heated argument regarding banning plastic water bottles. On one side the arguments were being made; (1) Why pay for something that is free? (2) Plastic bottles can cause you cancer. (3) Plastic bottles are polluting the earth. The arguments went on an on, so I thought I’d address some of them:
(1) Why pay for something that is free? Well, most of our tap water really isn’t free, it’s less expensive then buying it in a plastic bottle. I find it a bit curious though, that suddenly those using this argument are suddenly so interested in how each of us decide to spend our money. It is our money after all and if we decide we want to purchase a healthy, portable beverage, then it should be our choice. Right now bottled water is less expensive then soft drinks…which are less health and made mostly from water.
(2) Plastic bottles can cause you cancer. There are some types of plastic that do leach harmful chemicals. The type of plastic that is used to produce most water/soft drinks are made from PET plastic. PET plastic does not leach harmful chemicals. PET is a very durable and hard plastic that has made it ideal for holding liquids. The Problem is that PET plastic is so hard and durable it just doesn’t go away.
(3) Plastic bottles are polluting the earth. Plastic pollution is a problem, not just bottle plastic but all types of plastic. I heard it said that generations from now, historians will refer to our time as the “Plastic Ages.” I just came back from an unnamed super store, you know, the kind that sells everything from food, clothing, house goods to electronics. I was astonished to see that almost every item, and I mean every item, was made from or contained plastic…..we do indeed, live in the “Plastics Ages!”
As I was walking through the store on my plastic shoes, wearing plastic shorts and shirt, I started thinking of what life would be without them? I came to the conclusion that civilization as we know it would come to a stop if plastics were to suddenly vanish.
Since becoming involved with ENSO Bottles, I’ve learned that plastics don’t have to be a necessary evil. I’ve learned that plastics can be designed to be biodegradable and compostable. I’ve also learned that we need to do a better job of recycling plastics so that we get the maximum use from plastic resources before they are composted or biodegraded.
Here’s my idea’s on how we can have our plastic and a healthy environment.
. Only allow plastics that are biodegradable or compostable. Any future plastic items should be designed to meet a true cradle to cradle design.
. Improve recycling. I’m not talking about media spin, I’m talking about calling on the recycling industry to develop programs that will recycle all plastics. The reason that only 20-30 percent of 150 billion bottles are recycled each year is in my opinion due to the recycling industry wanting to “cherry pick” the plastics they capture for recycling. Currently PET has the most recycling value and the easiest thing for recyclers to capture is plastic bottles, almost anything else made of PET goes into the landfill.
To me it’s simple….make plastics that provide utility, recycle all plastics, and when the useful life of a plastic is over, it should be able to return to the earth as a harmless substance.
It can be done, new plastics are being developed. When we consumers demand that our plastics be safe and we only purchase safe plastics……..industry will listen.


Max
http://www.ensobottles.com
“Bottles for a Healthier Earth”