How Does it Affect the Environment?
The harmful effects to society are definite, but once humans are finished with the bottles, where do they end up? The answer is landfills and oceans. This is detrimental to the earth because bottles that end up in oceans are absorbed in the ground water which is the water that humans potentially drink.
Because bottled water is in demand world-wide, a lot of pollution occurs in order for the plastic to be produced. A large quantity of valuable resources are needed in order for plastic to be manufactured. 17.5 kg of water is needed in order to produce 1 kg of PET, a chemical needed in the process of manufacturing plastic bottles, which is a harmful chemical anyway, that is leached out into oceans and lakes when the bottles are discarded (Beke, Smith, Mielke). 1.5 million barrels are used every year to produce plastic water bottles, and because of this, large quantities of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, which could be one of the causes of global warming (Beke, Smith, Mielke).
The main environmental concerns with single use plastic bottles are that they are bought so frequently, and used only once, so they are discarded right away and pile up in landfills. Also, because of the extensive litter, bottles that end up in the oceans and lakes leach unnatural and unhealthy chemicals into the water, causing drastic changes to the seafood humans consume and the aquatic life. When plastic containers are thrown away, BPA and PET that is leached out of them, eventually get into the surrounding soils and groundwater, which is a major problem because the water humans consume is taken from groundwater and the food that is harvested is laced with BPA.
Scientists have done tests displaying that polycarbonate bottles are biodegradable ("Hard Plastics Decompose in Oceans, Releasing Endocrine Disruptor BPA"). However, this takes a long period of time and during this time, while the plastic is laying on a beach shore or somewhere on the earth, animals such as seagulls or other birds and mammals begin to consume the plastic into their own bodies mistaking it for food. This clogs up their bodily functions and eventually, they die. Pollution such as this is very common, and looking at the sales of plastic water bottles, will probably continue to be very common for a long while. However, if this problem is not addressed, many animal species will begin to become extinct. While it may be considered good that polycarbonate bottles biodegrade, when they do, they release the BPA and PET chemicals into the environment ("Hard Plastics Decompose in Oceans, Releasing Endocrine Disruptor BPA").
According to U.S Environmental Protection Agency, from the 33.6 million tons of plastic discarded every year, 7.7 percent is combusted to produce electricity and heat and only 6.5 percent is recycled (Cho). Especially because most plastic water bottles ought in cases are meant for single use, reusing them over and over can cause bacteria growth in the plastic bottle. Because bacteria grows in moist, warm environments, plastic water bottles are the perfect place to promote bacterial growth (Berry). The mouth of a plastic water bottle is smaller and therefore, harder to clean. However, it also helps keep the warmth inside the bottle versus a reusable stainless steel container, which contains a wider mouth so that it is easier to clean inside and remove and prevent bacteria growth (Berry). The harmful affects that plastic water bottles have outweigh the positives. Stainless steel water bottles are all around, the better investment, because they are durable, reusable and keep the water colder for a longer period of time.
Because bottled water is in demand world-wide, a lot of pollution occurs in order for the plastic to be produced. A large quantity of valuable resources are needed in order for plastic to be manufactured. 17.5 kg of water is needed in order to produce 1 kg of PET, a chemical needed in the process of manufacturing plastic bottles, which is a harmful chemical anyway, that is leached out into oceans and lakes when the bottles are discarded (Beke, Smith, Mielke). 1.5 million barrels are used every year to produce plastic water bottles, and because of this, large quantities of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, which could be one of the causes of global warming (Beke, Smith, Mielke).
The main environmental concerns with single use plastic bottles are that they are bought so frequently, and used only once, so they are discarded right away and pile up in landfills. Also, because of the extensive litter, bottles that end up in the oceans and lakes leach unnatural and unhealthy chemicals into the water, causing drastic changes to the seafood humans consume and the aquatic life. When plastic containers are thrown away, BPA and PET that is leached out of them, eventually get into the surrounding soils and groundwater, which is a major problem because the water humans consume is taken from groundwater and the food that is harvested is laced with BPA.
Scientists have done tests displaying that polycarbonate bottles are biodegradable ("Hard Plastics Decompose in Oceans, Releasing Endocrine Disruptor BPA"). However, this takes a long period of time and during this time, while the plastic is laying on a beach shore or somewhere on the earth, animals such as seagulls or other birds and mammals begin to consume the plastic into their own bodies mistaking it for food. This clogs up their bodily functions and eventually, they die. Pollution such as this is very common, and looking at the sales of plastic water bottles, will probably continue to be very common for a long while. However, if this problem is not addressed, many animal species will begin to become extinct. While it may be considered good that polycarbonate bottles biodegrade, when they do, they release the BPA and PET chemicals into the environment ("Hard Plastics Decompose in Oceans, Releasing Endocrine Disruptor BPA").
According to U.S Environmental Protection Agency, from the 33.6 million tons of plastic discarded every year, 7.7 percent is combusted to produce electricity and heat and only 6.5 percent is recycled (Cho). Especially because most plastic water bottles ought in cases are meant for single use, reusing them over and over can cause bacteria growth in the plastic bottle. Because bacteria grows in moist, warm environments, plastic water bottles are the perfect place to promote bacterial growth (Berry). The mouth of a plastic water bottle is smaller and therefore, harder to clean. However, it also helps keep the warmth inside the bottle versus a reusable stainless steel container, which contains a wider mouth so that it is easier to clean inside and remove and prevent bacteria growth (Berry). The harmful affects that plastic water bottles have outweigh the positives. Stainless steel water bottles are all around, the better investment, because they are durable, reusable and keep the water colder for a longer period of time.