For every six bottles people buy, only one is recycled. That leads to a big problem given the fact that water bottles do not biodegrade, but rather photodegrade. This means that it takes at least up to 1,000 years for every single bottle to decompose, leaking pollutants into our soil and water along the way . Yuck!
How does plastic water bottles affect the environment?
The water bottling process releases 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. Disposable water bottle waste washes into the ocean and kills 1.1 million marine creatures each year . Bottled water is tested for microbes and other pollutants 4 times less than tap water.
What is the cycle of bottled water?
Plastic water bottles take anywhere from 400 to 1000 years to break down and are the ten most common rubbish items picked up on Clean up Australia Day. There are many steps involved in making a bottle of water and throughout the process many natural resources are used.
What effect does the plastic bottle have on water quality?
Plastic can greatly harm the ecosystems with aquatic ecosystems being the most impacted. Each year, around 22 billion water bottles are wasted in which majority are released into the ocean, releasing toxic chemicals like BPA into the water that can cause diseases and hormone cancer .
Where do plastic water bottles end up?
80 percent of plastic water bottles end up in landfills . It takes up to 1,000 years for every single bottle to decompose. 80 percent of the plastic water bottles we buy end up in landfills. U.S. landfills are overflowing with more than 2 million tons of discarded water bottles.
How do plastic water bottles affect the economy?
Not only does the manufacture and sale of bottled water products create good jobs in the United States, but also it contributes to the national economy as a whole via the industry’s economic ripple effect that benefits agriculture, manufacturing, construction, transportation, and many other businesses whose livelihoods ...
Why do we need plastic water bottles?
Plastic bottles make life so much easier . They’re lightweight and easy to hold, and they’re also strong and hard to break. A plastic bottle is the best way to contain and carry many kinds of liquid, from water and soft drinks to oil to household cleaners and baby formula.
What is the process of making plastic water bottles?
How are plastic water bottles used?
Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink . The size ranges from very small bottles to large carboys. Consumer blow molded containers often have integral handles or are shaped to facilitate grasping.
Why are plastic bottles harmful?
Plastic water bottles contain chemicals, and those chemicals can leach into the water . This plastic leachate can have detrimental health effects on consumers. At certain levels of exposure, some of the chemicals in plastic, especially the chemical known as bisphenol A (BPA), have even been implicated as carcinogens.
How do plastic bottles affect climate change?
In 2019, the CIEL estimated that production and incineration of plastic would add 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere – equivalent to 189 coal-fired power plants. By 2050 this could rise to 2.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year – or 615 coal plants’ worth.
Why are plastic bottles good for the environment?
In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions , recycling plastic water bottles also helps to decrease the amount of pollution in the air and water sources. Many landfill facilities will incinerate plastic bottles to save waste, which can emit toxic pollutants or irritants into the air.
How does plastic affect the economy?
It finds that the overall natural capital cost of plastic use in the consumer goods sector each year is US$75 billion – financial impacts resulting from issues such as pollution of the marine environment or air pollution caused by incinerating plastic .
What are the negative effects of bottled water?
Bottled Water Often Contains Toxins From The Plastic
BPA and other plastic toxins can then make their way into your bloodstream, which can cause a host of problems including various cancers as well as liver and kidney damage .
Why is plastic a global problem?
A pervasive problem
Plastic never completely degrades. Instead, it breaks down into tiny particles and fibers that are easily ingested by fish, birds and land animals . Larger plastic pieces can transport invasive species and accumulate in freshwater and coastal environments, altering ecosystem functions.
What disadvantages do bottles made from plastic have?
Decomposition: The main disadvantages of plastic bottles is the shear amount of time they take to decompose he averages plastic bottle takes 500 years plastics decomposition can be agented by various factors, such as the types of plastic, the climate and acids in the landfill; plastic still lasts a long time, filling ...
How are plastic water bottles distributed?
From the time of production to the time of consumption, bottled water is hermetically sealed and protected from the environment, keeping the water inside the bottle safe. These individually sealed bottles are transported by truck, rail or ship from the manufacturer to the retailer, or directly to the consumer .
Who invented plastic bottles?
Engineer Nathaniel Wyeth patented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in 1973. The first plastic bottles able to withstand the pressure of carbonated liquids, they were a much cheaper alternative to glass bottles.
Where do plastic bottles come from?
Today most plastics are made of fossil fuels . Crude oil and natural gas go to refinement to be turned into multiple different products. Including ethane from crude oil and propane from natural gas. These products are the building blocks of plastics.
