ROUND 1: TASTE TEST
TAP WATER: When it comes to the taste of tap water, some people say its chlorinated aftertaste turns off their taste buds, but despite claims that bottled water tastes better, numerous blind taste tests have demonstrated an overwhelming preference for tap water when the tap and the cap go head-to-head.
BOTTLED WATER: Meanwhile, some bottled water brands such as Evian are credited with having a “smoother” taste compared to tap water. However, just as many, if not more, say they don’t like two of the most popular brands, Aquafina and Dasani, because they have a plastic, salty, or tinny taste.
The reason many people can’t taste the difference between tap and bottled water is probably because there is no real difference. Bottled is not automatically better. The tap busts the cap in Round 1!
SCORE: TAP WATER – 1
BOTTLED WATER – 0
ROUND 2: ENVIRONMENTAL LIGHTWEIGHT
TAP WATER: Once you take manufacturing and transportation into account, the environmental footprint of drinking water straight from the tap is only one percent of the total impact that bottled water has on the Earth.
BOTTLED WATER: By contrast, the amount of energy it takes to produce one bottle of water is equivalent to filling the bottle ¼ with oil! Bottled water also contributes to global warming by emitting carbon from the 17 million barrels of oil used each year to produce 30 billion bottles for the U.S. Plus, 85% of all water bottles still don’t get recycled and 10% of all plastic waste ends up in the ocean, endangering species that consume the toxic substance.
It takes more water to produce one bottle of water than the bottle itself can hold! Bottled water chokes on its own waste. Tap water scores!
SCORE: TAP WATER – 2
BOTTLED WATER – 0
ROUND 3: CONVENIENCE CONTROVERSY
TAP WATER: For some people, it’s too much of a hassle to refill a reusable bottle with tap water throughout the day. Some might call it laziness. Others might call it a lack of convenience.
BOTTLED WATER: On the other hand, bottled water is ubiquitous. To be able to choose from a number of different brands and grab a new bottle almost anywhere you go without having to worry about packing it in advance is a luxury that not many people are willing to give up just yet.
Bottled water bounces back on the question of convenience, but can it live up to its “safer and cleaner” claims? Bottled water bags a point!
SCORE: TAP WATER – 2
BOTTLED WATER – 1
ROUND 4: SAFETY FIRST
TAP WATER: The tap water that flows from your local water source is inspected daily and has to pass more stringent tests than bottled water. Many municipalities also mix trace amounts of fluoride with tap water to prevent tooth decay, but if you’re still uneasy about the chlorine, just let it sit overnight to evaporate.
BOTTLED WATER: Bottled water companies want to make you think that their product is healthier than tap water, but bottled water plants are only inspected every three years. What’s worse is that plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have been known to leach chemicals into the water which is why Health Canada doesn’t recommend reusing commercial plastic bottles.
Tap water is well taken care of, while bottled water is poisoned by plastic. The tap makes a comeback!
SCORE: TAP WATER – 3
BOTTLED WATER – 1
ROUND 5: MONEY MATTERS
TAP WATER: Not only is tap water less harmful to the environment, it’s also much cheaper. In Canada, one litre of tap water typically costs less than one-tenth of a cent.
BOTTLED WATER: The irony is that more than 25% of all bottled water is taken from municipal sources. That’s right – Dasani and Aquafina take the water that comes from your tap, puts it in a bottle, and sells it back to you for $1.50 or 3,000 times the cost of tap water! In fact, Dasani gets its water from Brampton and Calgary, while Aquafina takes it from Mississauga and Vancouver. So, why do people pay outrageous prices for water that they already paid for through taxes?
Canadians pay more for bottled water than they do for gasoline! Tap water is easier on the wallet.
SCORE: TAP WATER – 4
BOTTLED WATER – 1
ROUND UP: It may be more convenient to grab and go, but the only thing “green” about bottled water is the amount of money it’ll cost you. With a better taste, lower environmental impact, higher safety standards, and cheaper price, tap water is tops. Support for bottled water will continue to run dry, but Canadians are blessed to have 9% of the world’s renewable fresh water supply. So, it’s time to let the bottle drown because tap water has earned the clean water crown.
Web Links:
www.cbc.ca/news/background/consumers/bottled-water.html
www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/specif/bottwate.shtml
www.pacinst.org/topics/water_and_sustainability/bottled_water/