| The fastest growing environmental hazard is not | | | | is really only one solution to this mega-waste |
| global warming or fresh water shortage, it is poor | | | | disaster that prevents us from being a more |
| waste management - and chief culprits of waste | | | | green society, and that is reusable water bottles. |
| are plastic drinking bottles. With all the efforts to | | | | Reusable water bottles are more popular than |
| increase recycling among the average person a | | | | ever because of their positive environmental |
| recent poll found that only thirty-percent of plastic | | | | implications and new ultra-modern features and |
| bottles are recycled. For whatever reason that | | | | designs. Reusable water bottles have the potential |
| number is drastically reduced for water bottles | | | | of saving the disposal of hundreds and even |
| which only see a meager twelve percent of users | | | | thousands of water bottles a year per household. |
| recycle. So, how big of a problem is it then? | | | | These items generally store more water and are |
| Forty-million plastic bottles a day are thrown away | | | | decidedly more stylish than basic plastic water |
| and end up in landfills or as litter. This problem is | | | | bottles. The material for which they are made can |
| compounded by the fact that this is a fast | | | | be hard plastic, metal or stainless steel; all of |
| growing trend. In 1990 the United States bought | | | | these materials have their own unique qualities. |
| and produced 1.1 billion pounds of plastic and in | | | | Stainless steel travel mugs are extremely popular |
| 2002 that number jumped to 4 billion and is | | | | and can have features like Carabiners, flip-tops, |
| currently estimated even higher. | | | | screw lids and rubber traction for grip. Hard plastic |
| People have become obsessed with bottled water | | | | bottles have more flexibility and are extremely |
| and other soft drinks and are irresponsibly | | | | light-weight and metal bottles are very durable |
| disposing of them. What's more, disposable plastic | | | | and have longer shelf life. |
| bottles are made of petroleum, a finite | | | | Reusable water bottles are the best possible |
| commodity that is far from a green material. In | | | | alternative to using disposable plastic bottles. |
| fact to create a year's worth of disposable plastic | | | | Because disposable plastic bottles are so |
| water bottles in the United States alone requires | | | | hazardous and are creating bulk in our landfills, the |
| 1.5 million barrels of oil. And though this is a surging | | | | act of switching from disposable to reusable |
| problem in the United States, it is also a world | | | | bottles is a potentially critical change. And, though |
| concern being that it is estimated that world | | | | it is true that water bottles are made of |
| consumption of plastic is growing and currently | | | | non-biodegradable material like hard plastic and |
| stands at around 2.7 million tons per year. There | | | | others, they are reusable and recyclable. |