The Cost of Bottled Water
How Tap Water Can Save Thousands of Dollars and the Environment
Jun 17, 2009
As people look for ways to save money during the economic downturn, experts are pointing out that bottled water is more expensive than tap water, has a greater environmental impact, and often people can't tell the difference in taste tests.
Environmental groups such as Clean Up The World are quick to point out that in countries where safe drinking water is available, people can save more than a thousand dollars a year by giving up bottled water and turning to the tap.
The average price of tap water in the United States is $1.50 for 1,000 gallons – or less than a penny a gallon. In the United Kingdom tap water costs 20 pence a litre, while in Australia the price is less than a cent a litre when it comes from the tap.
A Clean Up The World analysis of 12 bottled water brands in Australia on the 24th of January 2008 found that the average price was $2.53 a litre.
If You Could Turn Petrol Into Water
Clean Up the World Chairman Ian Kiernan AO says for regular bottled water drinkers, that soon adds up to $1,200 a year.
Mr Kiernan says even as people complain about oil prices, many fail to realize they are spending more on a litre of bottled water than they are on a litre of fuel.
“People are paying more than $2.50 a litre for bottled water. Even with the latest petrol price rises, that makes bottled water more expensive than petrol – if you could turn petrol into bottled water, you would make a lot of money.”
Bottled Water Varieties - From Mountain Springs to Glorified Tap Water
There are three main kinds of bottled water.
Spring water must come from underground. Some are bottled at source, others are transported to a bottling plant in a bulk tanker where they may be chemically disinfected, usually with ozone.
Artesian wateralso comes from underground, but usually deeper. Artesian water comes from between layers of rock and so may have a high mineral content.
Purified water could either be purified spring water or tap water that has been distilled or treated to remove bacteria and minerals.
In 2004, soft drink giant Coca Cola admitted that the source for its Dasani bottled water was the mains supply at its factory in Kent, England. At the time many were surprised to find they had been buying purified tap water in a bottle.
Bottled Water Often Fails the Taste Test
A number of taste tests, including one by the largest consumer organisation in Australia, Choice, found not only is there no good reason to believe bottled water is any healthier than tap water, but that a taste panel couldn't tell the difference between two leading brands of bottled water and tap water.
The Choice taste test was conducted in July 2005, and took the two most popular bottled water brands at the time, Mount Franklin and Frantelle - which combined supplied nearly a third of the bottled water sold in Australia - and compared them with Sydney tap water.
As Choice explains in their Bottled Water Report "A Triumph", the water was tasted at room temperature and the tap water was stored overnight in empty Mount Franklin and Frantelle bottles.
They asked 21 tasters to pick the odd one out of the three samples. The testers were unable to distinguish between either of the two brands of bottled water, and Sydney tap water.
Tap Water Gaining Popularity in Restaurants
The similarities in taste may be partly behind the revolt against bottled water in restaurants. A recent study in the UK found almost two-thirds of people, 63 per cent, said they always asked for tap water rather than still or sparkling when dining out.
The survey was conducted on behalf of the WaterAid charity. Andrew Cook, WaterAid’s deputy chief executive has asked diners to donate a few cents towards the charity’s work when they order free tap water.
"Water is essential for life, yet here we are in 2009 and more than one in eight of the world's population are without access to it. Over 1.8 million children die every year from water-related diseases. We're so lucky here in the UK; we just turn on a tap and our fresh water is there."
The Environmental Cost of Bottled Water
Around 2.7 million tonnes of plastic is used to bottle water around the world each year and the recycling rates for bottled water are poor. In the United States only a fifth of the bottles will be recycled, compared to a quarter in the United Kingdom and a third in Australia.
Then there are the air miles to consider. By the time Fiij Water, a popular brand that is bottled on the islands of Fiji, has been flown to restaurants and upmarket shops in the US or UK, it has traveled more than 9,000 miles from the South Pacific island where one-third of the population doesn't have access to safe clean drinking water.
Fossil fuels are also needed to make the PET containers most bottled water comes in. It takes more than 30 million barrels of oil a year to make the plastic for the world’s bottled water.
While there are some parts of the world, including the developed world, where people have to rely on bottled water as their local supplies are not safe for consumption, for those who have access to safe tap water, the tide may be about to turn as they become more aware of the various costs involved with bottled water.
In 2008, after more than three decades of year-on-year growth, bottled water sales dropped by 9 per cent.
The bottled water industry and environmentalists will be watching closely to see what happens next.
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