The 1980s has a lot to answer for – gargantuan shoulder pads, Kylie & Jason and yuppies for a start. But it was also the decade when disposable plastic bottles started their unstoppable march toward world domination.
Suddenly, no catwalk model would be seen dead without a designer plastic bottle of expensive water tucked into their clutch bags. And in fancy restaurants, waiters turned up their noses at anyone vulgar enough to order tap water.
In fact, water wasn’t even called plain old water anymore – instead, it was ‘mineral’ or ‘spring’ water.
As a result, Australians were buying millions of bottles of Italian, French and Fijian water to show their dinner party guests what good taste they had.
plastic bottle time bomb
But there was just one slight problem with this new fad. That plastic bottle grabbed on the way back from the gym will still be around in 450 years’ time. And as half a trillion are bought every year and only a quarter recycled, that means there will be around 200 trillion of the things clogging up landfill, rivers and oceans before a single one has decomposed.
Oh, and plastic bottles release a delightful concoction of toxic chemicals which are deadly to wildlife as the components gradually break down.
In Australia alone, 130,000 tonnes of plastic finds its way into our rivers and oceans every year. So if we want to do something to help the environment, it doesn’t take a genius to work out what we need to do! The theme of SeaWeek is to highlight the fact that the sea supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems and look at the ways we can protect this precious resource.
a simple first step
And, yes, reusing plastic bottles is one option. But over time, chemicals still leach into the water. A much smarter solution is to use a glass bottle instead.
Whereas studies have proven that few people can tell the difference between bottled water and tap water, you can definitely notice the improved taste when you switch from plastic to glass.
Using a BIBO Water Bar filters & purifies the water you drink with a unique filtration and UV purification system. You know your family is drinking the safest, most delicious water there is. Much better than water from a bottle that’s spent three months at sea on its way from a bore hole on the other side of the planet!
don’t lose your bottle!
None of us can solve all the world’s environmental problems – especially when even some governments don’t seem that bothered about them. But reducing the number of plastic bottles clogging up the stomachs of wild birds, dolphins and whales is something we can start from today.
It takes a litre of oil and up to seven litres of water to produce a single plastic bottle of water. So switching to glass bottles really will make an immediate and lasting difference.
← Older Post Newer Post →