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Swapping single-use plastic bottles of water for a reusable water bottle is a great way to reduce your carbon pollution and the plastic in our oceans. It saves money, too.
How much carbon pollution can one small plastic bottle cause? Well, bottled water is 1,000 times more carbon intensive than tap water. Plus, one million water bottles are bought every minute around the world – all together, that’s a lot of carbon pollution.
There are other benefits to not buying bottled water, too. It takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose, and only 7% are turned into new bottles. Drinking tap water instead is much better for the environment and the oceans, where so many plastic bottles end up.
This one is really simple:
Tip: If you like flavoured water you can add a slice of lemon, orange or lime. Strawberries, mint, watermelon, raspberries and cucumber work well, too.
Bottled water is 1,000 times more carbon intensive than tap water:
Mike Berners Lee, How bad are bananas? 2020. Page 70
A million bottles a minute:
450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Impact metric calculations:
Calculations are based on the average CO2e emissions for a 1 litre bottle of water (Mike Berners Lee (2020), How Bad Are Bananas?)