Bottled Water vs Tap Water
Advantages and Disadvantages
Nancy Hearn, CNC

Millions of people are still drinking bottled water vs tap water. 

However, reliable sources such as the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and the Food and Watch Organization tell us:

Nearly 40 percent of bottled water is actually re-processed tap water!

According to the NRDC: “While much tap water is indeed risky, having compared available data we conclude that there is no assurance that bottled water is any safer than tap water.”

The good news is that purchasing a device to filter water is relatively inexpensive compared to bottled water. And you can get the same easy convenience with filtering water bottles.

Bottled Water vs Tap Water Regulation

Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Even though the FDA standards for bottled water are similar to EPA standards for tap water, the FDA is years behind in their inspections.

In addition, FDA guidelines are not up to par with the EPA guidelines. For example:

1. City water must be tested by government-certified labs. Bottled water companies have no such requirements.
2. Municipal tap water must be tested for coliform bacteria 100 or more times per month compared to once a week for bottlers!
3. Tap water is not permitted to contain E.coli or fecal coliform bacteria. This same requirement is not included in the FDA guidelines for bottled water.

Bottled Water vs Tap Water Costs

In addition to inadequate bottled water regulation, it is not cheap. Bottled water costs between $1.00 and $4.00 per gallon. Additional costs often include delivery services and/or renting a water cooler.

Add to this the time and energy some people spend having to drive to the store, fill up the bottle and transport it back home.

The fact is that bottled water is at least 300 times more expensive than tap water.

Some people drink bottled for the sake of convenience. However, using a home water filter and a safe, reusable water bottle are just as convenient, and certainly far less expensive.

Environmental Impact of Bottled Water

The other significant cost of bottled water has to do with its impact on our environment. Just to mention a few of these impacts:

1. In America, approximately 60 million plastic bottles are disposed of every day.
2. Over 1.5 billion tons of plastic water bottles go into our landfills each year.
3. It takes over 300 years for plastic to degrade.
4. The plastic leaches pthalates and other synthetic chemicals into the groundwater, which ends up in our tap water.
5. Massive amounts of fossil fuels are used to make, store, transport and deliver bottled water.

Simply say no to bottled water if you value our natural resources.

Summary of Bottled Water vs Tap Water

As far as I am concerned, there are no advantages of drinking bottled water over tap water. However, I don’t consider tap water a healthy choice either.

The healthiest, most economical and environmentally conscious choice is filtered drinking water.

Investing in a drinking water filter or whole house water filter system will allow you to control the type and degree of filtration, saving you time and money, while preserving the environment.

Reference

NRDC.org; The Truth About Tap; 2016.

Further reading . . .

Tap Water vs Bottled Water: Which Is Healthier?

What Is in Tap Water?

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