Is it time to stop drinking water in plastic bottles? Everything indicates yes

 We know that plastic is a material that is incorporated in almost all areas of our lives. Also, almost all industries are highly dependent on plastic, so it seems very difficult to replace this material, in part because, at an industrial level, its production and incorporation have extremely low costs.

In this context, while our individual actions will not change the production system, we can mitigate, even minimally, the impact that single-use plastic has on our local communities.

Here are some of the main problems of the consumption of single-use plastic.

The very low level of recycling

Bottled water bottles are made of PET, a recyclable material. However, only a third of plastic bottles receive such treatment.

In Mexico, for example, three hundred million tons of plastics are produced per year, of which only 3% is recycled. Also in this country two hundred PET bottles are produced per Mexican; If we take into account that the population is one hundred and twenty-nine million people, this is equivalent to 2.58 million PET bottles per year, a high figure that is explained, among other reasons, by the high consumption of soft drinks and bottled water. counter top ro purifier price in bangladesh

Ocean pollution

Globally, approximately eight million tonnes of plastic a year find their way into the oceans, invading and damaging ecosystems and then degrading into dangerous microplastics that later find their way up  the food chain . In other words, many marine species are inadvertently consuming microplastics, including fish that later end up on the table in the human diet.

The impact of transportation

The transportation of bottled water from industries to different businesses has a carbon footprint three hundred times larger than the path that water makes from tanks and pipes to keys to houses and establishments.

Diseases associated with the degradation of a plastic bottle

Some recent studies have analyzed the quality of the plastic used in most of the water bottles on the market. In combination with sunlight, the plastic used can degrade microscopically and, on the one hand, contaminate drinking water with microplastics and, on the other, generate bacteria inside.

What alternatives are there?

Using a reusable glass, stainless steel, or plastic bottle has a significant impact on plastic generation (plus it can save you money). On average, a reusable bottle helps to stop generating approximately two hundred PET bottles per year per person.

If one of the reasons you buy bottled water is because you trust the cleanliness of the water more than that of the tap in your house, you can get a filter or boil the water to get rid of any bacteria.

From science and technology, efforts are being made to improve and find possible solutions to problems related to plastic. For example, the doctor in Biotechnology Carlos Peña Malacara, from the Institute of Biotechnology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, is genetically modifying a bacterium that produces a bioplastic on its own. This bacterium is called  Azotobacter vinelandii  and its genetic modification has the main objective of getting it to be incorporated into production in order to replace certain types of plastic and offer biodegradable options.

How about? Have you considered the environmental impact of consuming water in disposable plastic bottles? Do not hesitate to share your opinion about it in the comments section of this note or through our profiles on social networks.