Bottled Water Footprints

Most of us agree that bottled water is convenient. Whatever else we may think about it, we know that carrying our own drinking water makes it easy to stay hydrated. We carry bottled water to work. We carry bottled water to sporting events. We carry bottled water when hiking or camping.

Do we consider, though, the footprint left by our bottled water?

Environmental Footprints

What do we mean by bottled water footprints? Think about your footprints. When you walk along a sandy beach, you make an impact on the sand. You leave a mark with each step. You show to all who come along that someone has walked there. As long as the waves do not reach the part of the beach where you walked, as long as the wind does not whistle across that expanse or rain scrub the sand, your footprints remain.

Bottled water leaves environmental footprints. What footprints does bottled water leave?

* Plastic bottles in landfills
* Plastic bottles along roadsides
* Plastic bottles on forest paths
* Plastic bottles on beaches
* Plastic bottles in a variety of other places

Many people simply drop their bottles when the water is gone. Some toss them in public trash containers. Either way, bottled water plastic leaves a not-so-nice environmental footprint.

Reducing Bottled Water Footprints

You can reduce bottled water footprints in a number of ways. Some people re-use the bottles, washing them well in a dishwasher to be sure they are safe. Others ensure all bottled water plastic is placed in recycling bins.

Perhaps the best way to reduce bottled water footprints is to carry water in a wide-mouth, reusable container. You may buy bottled water from a delivery service such as DS Waters. We review DS Waters on this website. To read that review, click here or on the dark blue DS Waters button at the top of this page. To order home delivery of DS Waters right now, click here.

Another way to reduce bottled water footprints is to use a filter in your home. Fill reusable, wide-mouthed containers from the filter, and carry your water with you. The wide-mouth container will be easy to wash well, and will provide clean, safe bottled water on the go.

If you must use bottled water in disposable plastic, be sure you recycle the plastic when you are finished with your water.