Is buying bottled water about as green as firing up a million patio heaters? Is our mains supply safe to drink, or is it contaminated with drugs? And can you really demand a restaurant serves you tap water? We sift through the hype…
IS BOTTLED WATER BAD FOR THE PLANET?
The H2O furore all comes down to carbon. A litre of tap water generates 0.3g of CO2, while a 750ml bottle of mineral water can have a footprint up to 300 times higher. ‘Bottled water is expensive, unnecessary and damages the environment,’ says Richard Watts from eco campaigners Sustain.
However, the Bottled Water Association (BWA) has a few stats of its own. ‘We only account for 0.03% of total UK carbon emissions,’ says Liz Bastone. ‘There’s a misconception about bottled water being flown around the globe, when 75% comes from the UK.’
While bottled H2O is only a tiny part of the global warming issue, water is in a unique position in that it’s literally on tap. ‘You can’t avoid the fact there is really no need for bottled water, except in emergencies,’ says Richard.
DOES RECYCLING MAKE BOTTLED WATER ECO-FRIENDLY?
Most bottled water now comes in PET packaging, which is 100% recyclable and requires less plastic in the first place to make it. One mineral water company told Celebs On Sunday that these facts made its product ‘kind to the environment’. True? Not according to Sustain. ‘Only around 20% of plastic bottles get recycled, and the majority ends up in a landfill or being dumped at sea,’ says Richard. ‘Recycling does spare resources, and I’d encourage everyone to do it, but most bottles are transported to China for recycling, which has its own environmental cost. It also takes a lot of petrol to make the bottles in the first place, even if they are re-used.’
IS TAP WATER SAFE?
The mains supply is independently tested for everything from bugs to chemicals, and last year 99.96% of water met government and World Health Organisation standards. And that other 0.04%? ‘The most common problem is rusty iron deposits, which are not harmful but turn water orange,’ says Sue Penniston from the Drinking Water Inspectorate. ‘Our last prosecution was of a company that supplied water containing the parasite cryptosporidium, which made a number of people ill. But that is incredibly rare.’ Tellingly, even the Bottled Water Association doesn’t make any health claims for mineral water over tap. ‘It’s an issue of choice, not health, and we wouldn’t question the safety of tap water,’ says BWA’s Liz.
IS MY WORK’s WATER COOLER ECO-FRIENDLY?
Sustain advocates using coolers that filter the mains supply rather than ones that use bottled water. However, the British Water Cooler Association, currently calculating the carbon footprint for both types, says it’s not a simple matter of good coolers vs bad.
‘The bottles used in water coolers are refilled for five years before being recycled, and none end up in landfill,’ says Michael Barnett from the BWCA. If your office has a water cooler, make sure you are taking advantage of the BWCA scheme to collect cups for recycling.
IS TAP WATER POLLUTED BY DRUGS?
There have been some alarming headlines about drugs, such as the Pill, trickling into our water supply, but the truth is more complex. ‘This scare stems from an Environment Agency report about drug residues found in river water, which people then wrongly equated to drinking water,’ says Sue from DWI. ‘Although some of the UK’s drinking water is sourced from rivers, it’s purified before reaching the tap.’
An independent report found water treatment reduced drug residues to negligible levels, and even in the worst case scenario, where tiny residues from all the different types of painkillers were grouped together, tap water showed ‘no significant risk to health’.
SHOULD I FILTER TAP WATER?
Filters get the eco thumbs up from Sustain, and can improve the taste of tap water. ‘Filters take out chlorine, which is necessary for killing bacteria but can affect taste,’ says Anna Gilbert from Brita (www.brita.net). ‘We don’t make any health claims for filtering, though, because tap water is already safe. Filters can further reduce residues, such as pesticides, but these are already at safe levels in tap water.’ The one exception is if your house has lead piping, which can contaminate tap water. ‘Water is monitored for lead levels, but only when it’s in the mains,’ says Sue. Filtering removes lead by more than 90%. If you have lead pipes, your water company can test lead levels for you.
CAN A RESTAURANT REFUSE ME TAP WATER?
Absolutely not, so stand your ground if a restaurant claims they can’t provide tap water on ‘regulation’ grounds. ‘All restaurants need a fresh water supply and there is no reason why they can’t serve tap water,’ says Eve Buckland from the Consumer Council for Water. ‘You don’t need a license for it. Restaurants should offer tap water just as they do salt and pepper. UK consumers have invested £70 billion in the water industry since privatisation and we should demand our money’s worth.’
HOW CAN I MAKE MY WATER GREENER?
Drink tap water at home and chill or filter it if you don’t like the taste. Blind tests show people can’t tell the difference between bottled water and chilled tap water.
Buy a reusable bottle to carry tap water when you’re out and about.
Always recycle plastic bottles and support water cooler cup recyling schemes.
Order tap water at restaurants.
If you do buy bottled water, buy British to reduce food miles, and look for companies who are investing in carbon offsets or biodegradable bottles, such as carbon-neutral Belu (www.belu.org). But bear in mind that all bottles require energy to make.
Words: Lynne Hyland.
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