At least a million plastic bottles are used every minute. According to Euromonitor International\’s global packaging trends report, the number is expected to increase to 583.3 billion this year.
The majority of plastic bottles end up in landfills or the ocean. Plastic bottles and caps are number 3 or 4 of the most commonly collected plastic items during the Ocean Conservancy\’s annual beach cleanups.
Imagine how effective the positive environmental impact would be if, wherever possible, we all used a reusable water bottle over single use bottles. In the UK alone, where there is safe tap water, this would save 7.7 billion plastic bottles per year.
A one-time investment in a reusable bottle will save money. A reusable bottle costs less than the combined 150 plastic bottles the average person consumes per year.
To avoid single use plastic bottles, I use the following three reusable water bottles:
Sigg Water Bottle Traveller
Sigg is a great travel bottle for hiking and trips. It\’s fantastic as the practical screw cap enables comfortable clipping to the outside of a rucksack or carrying with just one finger. It\’s made from a single piece of high-quality aluminium, making it lightweight and free from BPA and phthalates. Mine was a birthday present and is a DIY customised design.
Epica
The glass bottle is super to put in a small bag for a quick outing. They can hold juices, teas and water. Epica glass bottles are dishwasher safe with a wider mouth for easy filling and cleaning. The free solution to a quick portable water bottle is to clean out and wash the labels of an old jam jar with a good seal. Nice and portable.
Grayl
A filtered water bottle is a must have for travelling to countries without safe drinking water. The Grayl water bottle makes 24 ounces (710 ml) of clean drinking water anywhere on earth in only eight seconds. The filter protects from global waterborne pathogens (virus, bacteria, protozoan cysts), pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, and even microplastics. The bottle is heavy due to the filter and made from polypropylene number 5, food-grade silicone, TPE, ABS food-grade plastic. They do have a zero waste cartridge recycling program. A built-in filter reusable water bottle saves me time money, time and avoids plastic waste while travelling.
There are many different ways to purify your tap water. If you\’re living in a country with safe drinking water, you can attach a filter to your tap or add charcoal. This will help with any concerns.
When choosing a water bottle, it\’s best to avoid plastic bottles that could leach harmful chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA). Using glass and aluminium means at the end of their lifecycle they don\’t break down into harmful microparticles in the same way as plastic does.
How about you? What\’s your favourite reusable water bottle?