Ditching Bottled Water

Bottled water is tremendously wasteful. Huge amounts of energy are required to produce and transport it, and people pay a premium for water in small plastic containers that are often designed for a single use only, which is not exactly the most efficient use of natural resources. The collection of water for bottling often involves the exploitation of low income communities, and in some cases requires environmental degradation. The arguments against the use of bottled water are extensive, and are often brought up in an attempt to change drinking habits.

One problem with the debate over bottled water in the US, however, is that it is often based on the assumption that everyone in the United States has access to potable tap water. This is not, in fact, the case. Which means that discussions about water sales and water politics actually need to involve two separate issues. One is the drive to cut down drastically on the consumption of bottled water, because it is harmful and shouldn’t be consumed in such large quantities. The second is the need for infrastructure improvement, because the solution to not being able to drink out of your tap shouldn’t be buying water from another source. It should be cleaning up your water supply.

Regions with contaminated water often have more environmental problems than what’s in their water. The problem of undrinkable water is a bellwether, indicating that deeper issues are going on. Issues that could damage crops, and make people sick, and contribute to poor quality of life in the community. It should come as no surprise to learn that the regions with the biggest environmental problems, and the greatest chance of not having potable water, are located in rural areas in the United States, and often specifically involve low income people of colour.

Covering the ethnic gap in bottled water consumption for Mother Jones, Jaeah Lee noted that Latino and Black families spend twice as much, and sometimes even more, on bottled water than white communities. She pointed to a number of reasons for this, including very persuasive advertising campaigns designed to push bottled water on these communities. But she also noted that they have reasons to distrust their tap water supply. These can include personal experiences in regions without potable water, even if they live in regions with a secure water supply now, or the fact that some are living in communities where you cannot drink what comes out of the tap.

Read more: