Test the Water
But, the environmental problems associated with bottled water are greater than the sheer waste created.
Millions of barrels of oil are used in the manufacture of plastic bottles and the transportation of mineral water across the globe produces even more carbon emissions.
Tap water is just as healthy as mineral water, a thousand times cheaper and does not damage the environment. Yet there is still a misconception among many people that bottled water is somehow better for us and that tap water is not safe to drink.
To dispel some of the myths associated with tap water, UK environmental charity Waste Watch created the ‘Test the Water’ campaign, which encourages people to stop buying bottled water and turn to the tap instead.{mosimage}
As well as raising awareness around the importance of waste prevention, the campaign set out to investigate bottled water consumption patterns and to convince people to change both their shopping and drinking habits.
The campaign included an interactive roadshow which visited schools, offices and community groups in south and west London. As part of the visits, the Waste Watch team surveyed members of the public and got them to undertake a blind taste test to see if they could tell the difference between tap and bottled water. More importantly, they were
asked if they would be willing to ditch bottled water to cut their plastic bottle waste.
The results proved conclusive - just over half the participants preferred the taste of tap water to that of bottled water and many couldn’t tell the difference. People were also encouraged to sign pledges to give up bottled
water. Those taking the challenge were given a reusable drinking bottle sporting five reasons to turn to the tap and containing an information leaflet.
Follow up surveys revealed that almost two thirds of the participants were successful at giving up bottled water and many challengers claim to have adopted other waste prevention behaviours as a result of the challenge.
Waste Watch is now encouraging others to take up the challenge, starting with national and local government. In 2006-07, the House of Commons got through around 155,000 litres of bottled water, creating their very own plastic bottle mountain. Now government departments are beginning to replace bottled water at meetings for tap water in a jug, saving themselves money and helping the environment.
Local government, businesses and the public all have a vital role to play. As many organisations look to go green, moving from bottled to chilled filtered tap water is an easy and cheaper option.
Waste Watch would like to see greater emphasis placed on providing people with access to chilled tap water in public places as well as additional investment in a public awareness campaign to promote the health and cost benefits of drinking tap water.
The charity believes restaurants and bars should also be routinely offering free tap water to their customers and urges the public to do their bit by shunning expensive mineral water and asking for tap water instead.
Only by taking an innovative approach to the plastic waste we produce, and preferably removing the need for it in the first place, will we be able to make a dent in the huge levels of plastic waste currently going to landfill.
About Waste Watch
Waste Watch is a UK environmental charity working to change the way people use the world’s natural resources. They show how making better use of all our resources, including waste, energy and water, is good for the environment, business and wider society.
Waste Watch works with local authorities, schools, businesses and community groups to advise, educate and support people to make changes to their lives that will reduce their impact on the environment and improve their
quality of life. They do this through: education and training; marketing communications; and research and evaluation.
Waste Watch also works in partnership with Water UK and Waterwise to promote the benefits of drinking tap water and to campaign for access to chilled tap water in public places. For more information on our views on bottled
water, visit www.wastewatch.org.uk
