Solutions

Drinking Tap Water Might Be Simplest Solution to Ocean Plastic Pollution

Is the solution to plastic water bottle pollution as simple as educating the masses that their tap water is safe to drink? Photo: Elite Reader

Beaches are beautifully serene places. Imagine waves rolling in over a beautiful white sand beach in a calming splash. Relaxing, no? Now imagine a place where the sand is covered in plastic debris – all of which was fluttering through the ocean before it arrived on said beach. It’s a starkly different picture.

This year about 480 billion bottles of plastic will be produced and less than 10% of them will be recycled. The remaining 90% will end up somewhere – whether discarded in nature or in landfills – where it breaks down into microplastic and ends up in our groundwater, rivers and eventually lakes and oceans.

In addition to [ocean] plastic pollution, bottled water also has an enormous carbon footprint from production and transportation. And the problem is getting worse as bottled water consumption is growing, all while households may already have access to a clear and present solution – their tap.

Unfortunately, some people are afraid to drink from the tap. A survey of 1500 households in the US and Europe found […]

About bottled water and plastic pollution:

Flint water bottles become Genusee eyeglass frames

Plastic Toxins World Epidemic — Plastic Pollution

Microplastics found in more than 90% of bottled water, study says

Bottled water overtakes soda as America’s No. 1 drink — and you should avoid both

Summary
Article Name
Drinking Tap Water Might Be Simplest Solution to Ocean Plastic Pollution
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In addition to ocean plastic pollution, bottled water also has an enormous carbon footprint from production and transportation. And the problem is getting worse as bottled water consumption is growing, all while households may already have access to a clear and present solution: their tap.
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The Inertia
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