Jake Houston, Grade 6
Mr. Hunt and Mr. Lyons, Teachers / Oak Hill Middle School, Newton
"The Impact One Family Can Make"
Up until very recently my mom used to buy a 24-pack of bottled water every week at the grocery store. It wasn't until my family and I had dinner at a local pizza parlor that my mom read about paper and plastic waste in America that we realized how much we
contributed to that waste.
Did you know that over 60 million plastic bottles are disposed of each year in America alone?
Studies show that bottled water can becontaminated with bacteria and synthetic chemicals. Tap water contains nutrients such as calcium and iron as well as fluoride. In fact, city tap water is subjected to more rigorous testing and purity standards than bottled water.
Also, once bottled water is consumed the plastic bottle must be disposed of. More than 86 percent of plastic bottles used in the United States become litter or garbage.
Incinerating the plastic bottles produces toxic byproducts that are hazardous to our health. Bottled water is more costly than tap water.
Bottled water can cost any where from $1.00 - $4.00 per gallon compared to tap water costing less than a penny per gallon. A five year supply of bottled water at the recommended intake of8 glasses per day can cost more than $1,000. An equivalent amount of tap water cost only $1.65.
Bottled water has a huge negative impact on our environment. Treating and filtering tap water for bottled use creates more waste. By some estimates it can take as much as 3 liters of water to make just 1 liter of bottled water. The energy used each year to make the bottles needed in the United States is equivalent to enough oil spent to fuel more than 3 million cars per year.
My family has opted to choose tap water over bottled water. My mom no longer purchases bottled water at the grocery store. We realize the impact that just one family can make.
Tap water is healthier, cost less and is environmentally friendly. One plastic bottle of water that takes only about 3 minutes to consume can take up to 1 thousand years to biodegrade in a land fill.
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