Yes I know many of us consider tap to be the only option but for those of you who love bottled water there are choices. But before we begin lets remind ourselves why water in plastic bottles is an abomination
Why Not Bottled Water
Some articles on the subject
here
And here
And this about PET plastic bottles
So much so that water bottle bans are becoming more common
Plastic Free Bottled Water
But what to do if you don’t like tap? You can of course get water in glass bottles from shops and supermarkets. Buts its heavy and glass comes with its own environmental impact. Really glass bottles are only sustainable when they can be refilled. Read more here
So this is very good news… water in returnable, refillable bottles!
Returnable Bottles
“Crag water are the only bottled spring water company in the North of England that reuses its glass bottles. By that we mean that we will deliver and collect then send back to be washed, sanitised and refill the bottles. The only part of what we supply that isn’t reused is the aluminium cap. This is a security thing. Each cap has a use once only breakable seal.
We sell both still and sparkling spring water in 330ml and 750ml bottles. The sparkling water has a natural soft taste and is carbonated lightly.”
You can get them delivered to your doorstep along with your milk in bottles!
To find out more visit the website.
Compostable Bottles
We are always on the look out for new and greener plastics and these PLA bottles caught our eye. Personally I think bottled water is a scam. Why pay good money for that you can get for free? But if you should choose to go down that route, it seems a shame that such a decision should also result in a landfill site of non-biodegradable, plastic bottles.
There are of course compostable, biodegradable plastics – one such is PLA. But for years PLA was not considered up to the job of beverage bottle. You can read more about PLA plastic here.
The following would seem to disprove that theory….
From the website… Eco for life bottles are made from Polylactic acid, PLA for short.
During the production process, we produce 60% less greenhouse gases and use 50% less fossil fuels.
| Will bio-degrade | ✘ No, takes up to 1000 years | Yes, in an industrial composter |
| Made from | ✘ Oil | Annually renewable plants |
| Leaches harmful chemicals into water | ✘ Yes | No |
| Can be recycled | ✘ Yes, but down-cycled and always ends up in landfill | Yes, and can be re-cycled into a whole new bottle, never ending in landfill |
| Releases harmful toxins when incinerated | ✘ Yes | No |
| Greenhouse gases savings during production | ✘– | Approx. 60% |
| Oil saved | ✘– | Approx. 1 litre for every 24 bottles |
N.B. I still don’t know if the screw top lids are PLA plastic.
Composting PLA Plastic
Back to me…. While most agree that PLA plastic is indeed compostable, many say that it can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. As we don’t have many large scale municipal schemes this they say is a pointless advantage.
I say the days of large scale municipal schemes is fast approaching as governments aim to divert biodegradable rubbish from landfill sites.
Moreover I have been composting my PLA plastic for years.
We have used and composted the following PLA plastic products ( including Biobags , Deli pots and disposable Cutlery )
Useful stuff to know
Remember, not all bio- plastics can be composted and some are not as green as they sound
See all PLA related posts here
Refillable Bottles
But why create any waste at all if you can avoid it? Get yourself a refillable bottle, use the tap, save money all round. Find bottles, refill places and other water related information here….
Tap water
You can see all our tap water posts here.
And check out our drinks index here
N.B.
Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
And before you go…
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