The negative consequences of using plastic water bottles, particularly concerning BPA, have been released to the public, yet there continues to be such high demand for bottled water. Why do you think demand remains high and what can be done to decrease it



  1. 0 Votes

    Qood question! This is of course a matter of opinion since everybody’s reasoning is different. But I currently work in an office where we have a cooler with bottled water available to the employees – what’s worse is that they get thrown away, until recently when I implemented a recycling procedure. Anyway, what I have witnessed here and many other places show a handful of reasons.

    Convenience – Americans are not good about planning ahead to provide themselves with the tools they need to not rely upon disposables. They would need to bring a glass or water bottle to work.

    Lack of connection – As a nation we are not trained in the act of thinking abou the consequences of our actions, environmentally. When my co-workers throw away the bottle that is recyclable, they don’t imagine it ending up in a landfill and sitting there for 30 years before it “breaks down”. They throw it away and forget about it. We’re also out of touch about how our negative practices affect species and countries beyond our imagination.

    Lack of education – even though there is ample information to suggest that water bottles are harmfull for OUR environment, you have to find the information and process what it’s saying to you – instead of letting it go through one ear and out the other.

    Defensiveness – people feel threatened by the environmental movement and don’t want to lose their “rights”.

    • 0 Votes

      You are right. Even after I researched all of this information on plastic water bottles, and swore to myself that I would never grab another bottled water again, I find myself reaching for a one rather than go buy a filter or trust my tap water. Despite being educated about it, or making connections, I think it’s difficult for people to take action when they don’t directly see the effects of the problem. That’s why people that are directly affected by being sick from nearby plastic bottle refineries or towns who are losing access to their water due to the bottled water industry are the ones that are fighting this. Unfortunately, it’s the same with other environmental issues, and we have to find ways to motivate people to change their actions before they are negatively affected.

Please signup or login to answer this question.
