Disposable Water Bottle Case Study

In 2005 more than twenty-two billion disposable plastic water bottles ended up in landfills or incinerators in the United States, that is an average of sixty million bottles a day (Franklin, 2006, para. 3). The wastefulness in the production of disposable water bottles and its process is just as astonishing. In 2011, an average 1.39 liters of water were used to produce one liter of water for disposable water bottles (Gustafson, 2013, para. 2). The water used to produce the bottle is the main problem; in the production of a one liter bottle of water it is estimated to require six or more liters of freshwater. Disposable water bottles are a constant contributing factor to the overuse of the limited resources of freshwater. Despite having many

The manufacturing of the plastic bottle, cap, and label, requires a copious amount of freshwater. The water required in the production process may not need to be as filtered as the water put in the bottles, but the water still needs to be relatively clean. This water is used to cool and harden the plastic, as well as clean it. Most of this water comes tap water sources; these sources could be used for drinking water from tap or other more important uses. Industrial facilities have become more efficient in their water use, however, an outrageous amount of water is still used in manufacturing processes. Companies recognize the inefficient use of freshwater that is needed for other reasons. Some companies have made to cut back water use, such as Dasani’s bottle that is partly made from plants, but ultimately freshwater is still being wasted in the process. Once the freshwater is used to produce the bottle, cap, and label, the water then has to be re-filtered. After the production of the pieces to the bottles of water, the freshwater used to create, treat, and sanitize becomes dirty. Before the water can be reused by either the same company or other consumer the water must be cleaned, using even more water to filter and flush out any

The bottle creates pollution that ultimately finds its way into the waterways (Bono-Blay, et al., 2014). The pollution contaminating the waterways requires treatment, such as filtering out plastic particles, so that it can be used again. In some instances, in both the Great Lakes and oceans the amount of plastic in the bodies of water can not be saved. This pollution not only affects the water, it can also go as far as affecting the health of consumers with chemicals from the plastics like bisphenol A (BPA) that have been traced in the water from these water bottles. A study by Chambers, Luke, Forrester, Rattray, and Badal (2015) reveals that BPA has effects that can harm human health. BPA is found in plastic polymers used to manufacture the plastic. In this study it is shown that BPA leaches into the water that the bottle contains, ultimately diffusing into human skin. This is also present in a study by Bono-Blay, Borrell, Guart, and Lacorte (2014) explaining that additives used in the process of the bottle can migrate into the water from the packaging, as well as from tanks and