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nahsrocketeer75Jul 13, 2010
No. But it can become another one of those wedge issues that help radio talk-show hosts paint environmentalists as extremists.
dafragstaJul 14, 2010
It's good to see other people are as cynical about mass media.
tsuruchibrianJul 14, 2010
Extreme environmentalists are extremists by definition.
If this is about pollution, then the government should estimate the cost of cleanup and add a tax to each bottle that will pay for the cleanup.
Ironically this is like a libertarian solution because it attempts to adjust the price of bottled water to it's true market value by factoring in the environmental cost. I most places I would assume this cost in the form of cleanup is paid for by tax money.
This is similar to taxing gasoline to pay for the upkeep of the infrastructure that motorists use. It is nice because it taxes those who use the resource more, more.
Maybe one day when people can learn to dispose of their garbage properly (or if we can police littering better), the tax will not be necessary.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
zomgondoJul 14, 2010
Actually, haikuFU hit upon a perfectly workable solution lower down in the comments - mandate a minimum size of, say, a gallon:
http://digg.com/environment/Banning_Bottled_Water_Can_It_Work?t=33804139#c33806855
I don't care if a consumer wants to drink water bottled at a factory instead of water from the tap. It's their choice. But packaging it in 24 packs of 8oz containers is completely unnecessary. It's water ffs, it's not going to go flat if it sits in an opened container.
suricouJul 14, 2010
Plus - and here is a secret that I'm sure the maufacturers don't want people to know - those little bottles are refillable! :-)
craftyguyJul 14, 2010
But some water bottles have an expiration date on them!!
lol..
linageeJul 14, 2010
I bought a sink/counter filter for $35 and it has $6 cartridges. This is not one of those tiny little POS filters, it's a massive ~9 inch filter with 0.5 micron medium. The water has never tasted better. I don't get how those tiny sink filters you buy at walmart have $20 cartridges. Are they trying to be like ink jet printer companies?
hurricanedcJul 14, 2010
amazon link please?
mxm111Jul 14, 2010
I think there is better way than banning. Slap huge tax on bottles, and use money collected to cleanup environment. So that if you want to buy a bottle, you pay environment tax, but you still have a CHOICE. Having choice is better than not.
tsuruchibrianJul 14, 2010
That's what I said :)
soc7Jul 13, 2010
Ban it. Bring back the tap. Bottled water is an even bigger scam than corn/cellulose based ethanol and clean coal.
srsgd8Jul 13, 2010
When I go camping, grabbing a case of bottled water is easier in both purchasing and dispensing than hauling tap water or drinking the s**t that comes out of the nasty taps on the camp sites (if they even have them). While I don't buy it for everyday use, in this case, I view paying 4 dollars for a case of water as a good deal for the convenience. But f**k it, lets ban it because some nanny decided I shouldn't be allowed to have 1-2 cases of water a year.
soc7Jul 13, 2010
When I was a kid we drank it out of the pumps at the campground. Yeah it tasted funny usually because of the iron content. But we were roughing it and took it in stride. If we brought our own water it was tap water in large jugs, unless we were hiking in, then we brought it in smaller containers. But they were all reusable.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
srsgd8Jul 13, 2010
Great story... I can buy a case of water and would rather do that than risk there not being a pump, hauling a big ass jug and a bunch of cups, or risking my health on a well which is rarely used and for which I have no guarantee for the cleanliness. Your anecdote is invalid for taking away my freedom.
soc7Jul 13, 2010
I've been informed that banning bottled water would take away someone's freedom. I'm sad.
srsgd8Jul 13, 2010
How is restricting my right to buy a good which can sustain my life, in a convenient manner, because you don't like the way it's packaged, not taking away a right/freedom? You are sad.
soc7Jul 14, 2010
I said I was sad. I'm still sad.
webchimp32Jul 14, 2010
That's pretty much what we do, fill up a big 5/10ltr water carrier from the campsite taps and top up 0.5ltr bottles for carrying round.
mweatherJul 14, 2010
Buy a case of water, then save the bottles. There, problem solved.
darkstar3333Jul 14, 2010
@srsgd8
How is hauling individuals bottles better then hauling a refillable jug and canisters? Its not about convenience because you still have to dispose of all those bottles correctly (recycle). Either way you look at it, you take a container filled with water with you and then return with the empty containers.
In most cases the bottled water is significantly worse then your typical tap water not to mention its exponentially more expensive.
robmackenzieJul 14, 2010
You really bring small bottles of water camping?
First, you should be going through more water then that if you are doing physical activity. If I'm camping from the car, I'll bring 40 liters of water, just in case. Big jugs that will last me and my groups a few days.
Most often, I use a ceramic filter pump and just use water around me. I've NEVER had to use those crappy bottles camping. I do keep one in the glove box, for emergencies.
The simple truth is that you can get along without them. They are killing our planet, so f**king get over yourself and stop using them!
danwgreJul 14, 2010
@RobMackenzie
Statements like "they are killing the planet" make me want to shake you.
mattroflJul 14, 2010
@RobMackenzie get over your trendy environmental bulls**t. The earth has never been better.
schmichJul 14, 2010
I don't see the problem if the water is local. What is ridiculous is eg. Evian water being shipped from France/Switzerland to the US.
jsauterJul 14, 2010
I fail to see how packing a flat of water bottles is any more convenient then packing a collapsible water jug and a water bottle. You only have to go to the store once and you don't have 24 empty plastic bottles floating around the back of the vehicle...
But that is just me I guess.
mandraqueJul 14, 2010
@MWeather: NO NO NO! Theres something horribly wrong with doing that, I learned it in my materials class, but like everything else I learned in college I forgot already. But if you google it you can probably find why its a horrible idea.
path411Jul 14, 2010
This is a problem being argued by people living in different areas of the states, when solutions and effects are very different to your area.
Living in a town like Phoenix, and for most of Arizona, drinking tap water is not realistic or desired.
We don't have wells, and the tap water we have is shipped from hundreds of miles away. Taste, or even cleanliness to drink isn't a priority. Water shortages are a huge problem and forcing people to drain even more tap water would cause a huge crisis.
Sure, some changes can always happen in the bottled water industry, but banning it nationally would be a very shortsighted move.
otterpJul 13, 2010
nahsrocketeer, even though 80% of the use in unnecessary, consumers in the other 20% shouldn't be punished, especially with such an extreme punishment. Consider this: at times even usually safe municipal water systems can become dangerously contaminated with something as common as a water main burst. Travelers, even in the US, are less likely to have health issues with changes in water sources if they stick with one source. Others buy a bottle once for convenience and then reuse the bottle a dozen times with tap water. Banning the act of bottling and selling water, one of the most basic resources, would be absurd.
Closed AccountJul 14, 2010
Consumers were fine 20 years ago. Why need the bottle water? Filter your own water. Saves on resources and prevents waste. Have you seen the garbage patch in the middle of the ocean?
robmackenzieJul 14, 2010
Re-using the bottles is bad for you. They leak chemicals into the water if used for extended periods.
hivoltage815Jul 14, 2010
You can re-use bottles for at least a year and a half to two years usually. The bottles print the use-by dates right on them.
otterpJul 15, 2010
DigiRaven, I completely agree that it is usually wiser to use tap or well water. While my argument is against banning, I think that bottled water in most cases (the 80% I threw out) is an exorbitant waste.
2004taxesJul 13, 2010
I agree. Americans have proven they can't think for themselves. They need to be told what they can and cannot do with their personal lives and money.
megajoe67Jul 13, 2010
Ban bottled water but cigarettes are just fine.
soc7Jul 13, 2010
That'll work.
yeegngoJul 14, 2010
wow that was a great f**k you to people against bottled water. LOL.
skunkman62Jul 14, 2010
why not ban all plastic bottles? why is bottled water under attack?
sockhead360Jul 14, 2010
we can't drink a liquid we need to survive with from a bottle (conveniently) but were allowed to smoke harmful chemicals into our lungs and throw the remains wherever we want. (non recyclable)
crculverJul 14, 2010
Plenty of places foresee banning cigarettes. Introduction of new laws (higher taxes, no distinct labels, hiding ciggies behind the counter) is being progressively done with a view to ideally wiping out smoking within a decade or so.
robmackenzieJul 14, 2010
cigarettes aren't killing the planet as fast, just the stupid people who inhabit it. Smoke away!
hivoltage815Jul 14, 2010
If you ban something like cigaretts, you just create a massive black market for it like with marijuana or alcohol during the prohibition era. Then you can't tax it and you can't have high standards to make sure it's not anymore dangerous than it already is.
I highly doubt a bottled water black market would pop up though.
mandraqueJul 14, 2010
I would easily say that bottled water is a way worse evil than cigarettes. Cigarettes may or may not damage your health permanently, but bottle water is damaging the environment in permanent ways.
autokadJul 14, 2010
I walk 30 minutes each way to work every day, and I like to have some water on my walk. If assh**es like you are gona f**k with me and make me live by your way of thinking, ill just buy an SUV and drive to work, and leave the engine running as much as possible.
I also use bottled water at the gym when I'm running on the treadmill.
furthermore, I get thirsty in my sleep, so I keep a bottle of watter next to my bed.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
soc7Jul 14, 2010
Get something reusable that is dishwasher safe and learn to love the tap. Hurling epithets is beneath you. Or not. I just hope it is.
autokadJul 14, 2010
I dont have a dishwasher, and I dont like washing those things by hand all the time. I reuse my bottled waters for a while then toss them into the recycling binComment is buried, click here to see the rest.
soc7Jul 14, 2010
I wasn't forcing you to do anything. And who said anything about "the greater good"? Far be it for me to tread on anyone.
notriddleJul 14, 2010
How about reusing bottles? Or better, using a safely reusable container such as a metal can, glass bottle, etc.
And as for driving an SUV to work and leaving the engine running.... I hope you're being sarcastic. You should be aware that you're helping bring up the cost of gasoline.
autokadJul 14, 2010
I like the taste of things in cans, but i shy away from using an aluminum can because of alzheimers. Granted there's probably no connection between the two, but thats just meComment is buried, click here to see the rest.
soc7Jul 14, 2010
The Alzheimer's/aluminum thing is a myth.
patman21Jul 14, 2010
What's wrong with using a water bottle for autokad's situation? I do that all the time... If I accidentally leave a reusable bottle somewhere, or some moron steals it (you would be surprised how often both happens) I don't want to be out $10-$15. I'd rather be out the 25-50 cents that I paid for it. (I buy the cheap ones in bulk)
rheaumeJul 14, 2010
Re-using water bottles
Im sure youll think this is some global warming manbearpig bulls**t but, not recommended:
http://walking.about.com/od/fluids/f/reusingbottles.htm
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/people-who-frequently-reuse-their-water-bottles-may-be-risking-their-health.html
http://www.homefamily.net/index.php?/categories/consumersmarts/reusing_water_bottles_may_make_you_sick/
darkstar3333Jul 14, 2010
@autokad
How to wash a reusable bottle:
1) Fill dirty bottle with Soapy Water
2) Close Lid and Shake Vigorously
3) Rinse
4) Dry
The financial cost of a reusable container is reclaimed in about a week of use.
danwgreJul 14, 2010
@soc7
You said you weren't forcing Autokad to do anything.
So would you vote for or against banning bottled water?
mikeservJul 14, 2010
Use denture cleaning tablets. Just drop one in every 3 days or so. Used to use them on my canteens in the Army. A pack of 100 can cost less then $10.
If I was short on those I'd use salt (which isn't nearly as effective, but at least took care of the weird smell canteens can pick up after a month or so in the field): I would fill my canteen, pour most of the water out, and dump in salt. Let it sit overnight, then in the morning shake out all of the dried salt. After that just rinse it out a few times and drink.
webchimp32Jul 14, 2010
Unless you go by the name "The Reviewer" on nileguide, I'm gonna be digging you down for ripping off someone elses comment.
"TheReviewer says:
July 13, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Ban it. Bring back the tap. Bottled water is an even bigger scam than corn/cellulose based ethanol and clean coal."
soc7Jul 14, 2010
Do what ya gotta do.
tommyrJul 14, 2010
No, it shouldn't be banned. Let the morons keep buying it if they like throwing their money away. Like the idiotic Lotto and lottery players.
soc7Jul 14, 2010
You're probably right. It's nice that so many people are able to afford these luxuries and then complain in the next breath about municipal taxes.
darkstar3333Jul 14, 2010
Except that eventually were going to have to deal with all that plastic floating around the ocean, assuming we have an "Ocean" left in a decade.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Closed AccountJul 14, 2010
Nothing wrong buying lotto tickets, unless you spend hundreds of dollars.
When you buy a lotto ticket it's good for your state because it helps pay for important things!
coastiefishJul 14, 2010
Here in Oregon:
17 - Who decides which programs and projects receive Lottery profits?
Oregonians vote to approve the broad categories that may receive Oregon Lottery funds, and have approved Constitutional amendments allowing Lottery funds to be used for economic development (1984), public education (1995) and natural resource programs (1998). Then, every two years, Oregon's Legislature and Governor appropriate the remainder of Lottery funds within those categories. During the current biennium (2007-2009), 67% of all Lottery profits, over $4 billion, is going to public education. The remainder is going to economic development, natural resources, and problem gambling treatment programs.
19 - What are the authorized uses of Lottery funds?
Authorized uses of Lottery profits, as designated by Oregon voters, include public education, economic development and natural resource programs.
* Lottery funds allocated education go to Oregon Education Department and Oregon university systems for disbursement.
* Lottery funds allocated for state parks and salmon restoration projects go to the Natural Resource Fund, and are distributed to programs and agencies such as the Governor's Watershed Enhancement Board, Fish & Wildlife, Parks & Recreation, Agriculture, Forestry, and DEQ.
* Lottery funds for business development and job creation are administered through the Oregon Business Development Department. The OBDD provides economic development and cultural enhancement throughout the state, and administers programs that assist businesses, communities and people.
ccpandaJul 14, 2010
Especially in the recent heat I always keep 1 or 2 bottles of water in my bag (I walk everywhere), although I do refill them with tap water for a couple weeks before getting new bottles, but a blanket ban on it because most people don't need it is ridiculous.
coastiefishJul 14, 2010
Ive been doing this for quiet sometime now, for me it became annoying. I finally (happily!) invested in a reusable stainless steel container, the perfect size for my needs. It was the best investment Ive made recently. It really does pay for itself in no time at all.
Now I kind of wonder why others aren't doing the same.
Closed AccountJul 14, 2010
Buy a water bottle and water filter from the store. Save money, waste less.
sodbustinJul 14, 2010
Right, I'll just take my water tap with me next time I go to the movies. Good idea.
jasontkJul 14, 2010
What is with all the people in here acting like bottled water is the ONLY way to get portable water?
"OMG HOW WILL I HAV WATUR AT DE MOOVEEZ?!?!"
Is the concept of refilling a reusable container that far out of an idea?
elranzerJul 14, 2010
No. What needs to be banned is high-fructose corn syrup.
esteskidJul 14, 2010
or stop subsidizing corn, then sugar would be the cheaper alternative and it would stop being used
or we could just keep banning things because that always works so well
gbates31Jul 14, 2010
Obviously you don't live in the Las Vegas area. Whenever I run out of packaged water, I cringe at the thought of having to down a glass of tap that tastes like it came out of a community swimming pool.
soc7Jul 14, 2010
I've had Vegas water. It wasn't bad. I'd drink it to quench my thirst.
gbates31Jul 14, 2010
You sir, are a masochist.
hivoltage815Jul 14, 2010
Vegas water probably tastes like Phoenix water because they both come from the Colorado River. It is a disgusting water source for sure. I lived in Tucson, they had pretty good water from the ground.
moloboloJul 14, 2010
The tap water I get at my home is disgusting, It gives my family and I diarrhea; No joke. We have tried using filters, but they don't seem to last. Instead, we buy water at our local grocery store for around 50 cents a gallon.
We spend $15 a month on "bottled" water, It's well worth it. The water we buy isn't branded either, It's just store brand water. I guess they filter out water and sell it back to us, which is cheaper than buying a filter every month.
jsauterJul 14, 2010
You might want to write your local water provider in that case.
rolfJul 14, 2010
In Germany, I can get bottled water as cheap as €0.15 per 1.5 liters! And it's in glass. And there is an extensive recycling program where most people participate.
This is how it works - at the counter, you don't get charge €0.15 but €.25 "pfand" for the bottle and if you buy cases that hold 6 bottle, €2 for those holders and they just get used over and over again. That extra money gets returned to you when you bring the empty bottles back and case. And if you leave it somewhere, someone will happily collect that cash.
What's more, anybody who sells it has to give you pfand back. The bottles are standard sizes, the cases are standard. It doesn't matter where you bought it, and there are no intermittent and out-of-the-way recycling centers to drive to, just your local supermarket.
So no plastic in the landfills (I hate drinking from plastic anyway). People still get there plastic water. Just common sense.
One thing I resent in the US is that the places you buy stuff don't have to take it back for recycling. We're talking about fluorescent lights, CFLs, bottles, electronics, where retailers can get a much better rate for mass quantity. Just put a pfand on those items by law which you collect when you return it. Otherwise, most people don't have incentives to bring it in, those who are well-meaning have to drive to a recycling center god-knows-where, and then may balk at the prices charged, and instead a ton of those chemicals end up in the landfill (like mercury from CFLs and fluorescents).
sprucecabooseJul 14, 2010
f**k off. Why would you ban bottled water when literally every other liquid on the planet comes in the same damn bottles? It is not going to magically make people stop being wasteful, so why punish those who really do benefit from it just because you fell like having a government live your life for you?
soc7Jul 14, 2010
OK. I'll F*ck off. But only after the bottled water ban goes into effect. How about a ban on all bottled water sold in one liter containers or smaller. Maybe that would be a good start. Yeah, I like that. I could really F*ck off on that.
Government has nothing to do with this. It's about we the people of the United States making at least some feeble attempt at easing up on our constant pillaging of the environment in the name of an unsustainable economic growth model that is diametrically opposed to the survival of the planet.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
jsauterJul 14, 2010
Because from what I know, you can't get milk shakes and orange juice out of the kitchen faucet.
sprucecabooseJul 14, 2010
And the quality of water is not universal, either. Until you have a better reason for banning it than "some people misuse it", I am not buying it.
wolfman6464Jul 13, 2010
One day our descendants will look back on this era and say "those were the people who paid for water they got for free in their homes."
frink14Jul 13, 2010
Water is never free. You pay water bills and if you have a well you have to pay for that too. Since when is water free?
hu99Jul 13, 2010
We don't pay for water in Vancouver, BC. I'm sure there must be other areas.
peekmanJul 13, 2010
What the f**k..... who the f**k pays for the pipes?... the pumping stations?... the power to run the pumping stations?........ free water my balls..... I want to fly across the country and smack you.
http://www.metrovancouver.org/region/tapwater/Pages/default.aspx
"Metro Vancouver’s tap water is arguably some of the best drinking water in the world, and it costs you only about $0.8 per 1,000 litres, or $0.0008 per litre. A single-use one litre bottle of water can cost you as much as $1.75 a litre."
otterpJul 13, 2010
While the use of the word "free" is hyperbolic, tap water is incredibly cheap in comparison to bottled water, which is often more expensive per gallon (especially in the typical small bottles) than gasoline! Compare that to the national average of roughly 5 gallons of tap water per cent, and you see that "free" isn't far off.
ghostalkerJul 14, 2010
I lived in a part of NY where water was free. The town was built on the aquifer and sold water to neighboring municipalities. I'm sure that's the small exception to the rest of the country, but not everyone is paying for water.
stuffradioJul 14, 2010
We don't pay for water on a well, the water is in no way connected to the city at all (I live in Metro Vancouver).
darkstar3333Jul 14, 2010
With the amount of water you use as drinking water, it becomes practically free. I have never ever seen a water bill in the triple digits even to this day.
gsm54321Jul 14, 2010
Water is free when it rains.
suricouJul 14, 2010
Sort-of free, if you are on an unmetered supply. How much you pay is unrelated to how much you use.
Most people in the UK are unmetered, though there is some pressure to change that now as an anti-waste measure.
yunusJul 14, 2010
@stuffradio
You pay for the well.
weezy360Jul 14, 2010
Water is free at public drinking fountains and most sit-down restaurants. That's about it though.
stuffradioJul 14, 2010
@yunus How do you pay for the well? There are no monthly costs for the well.
emttechJul 14, 2010
I have a well, its electric though so power bill!
side note: well water tastes like s**t and you likely need an expensive water softener and ridiculous water softener pellets. all of which cost money.
I have no problem drinking tap water. once it tastes as good as bottled water.
energyeinsteinJul 13, 2010
Hopefully it'll be a bit more of epic of a quote that encapsulates a broader range of wasteful and self-destructive tendencies.
nicko68Jul 13, 2010
1 We pay for water, we get a bill every month for water & sewer.
2 It's nice to be able to buy something to drink when you're out other than pop (soda) or juice.
The environmental issue isn't the bottled water, it's the bottles -- which is the same issue that bottled pop (soda), juice, and even milk now, has.
How about a return to glass bottles which can be washed and reused?
peekmanJul 13, 2010
Isn't the issue transporting the water too?.... water is inherently heavy to move..... for pop an juices they usually ship the mix.... but use local water to finish the product. With spring water they "apparently" take it from far away sources and bring it to you....
otterpJul 13, 2010
The greater issue is unnecessary transportation of water, using gasoline, etc. I don't think bottles should be banned or anything, but people could simply plan ahead to carry water if they need it, just as they plan ahead to carry their wallet. Its an exorbitant and wasteful luxury when you know that you can get over 100 gallons of water from the tap in many localities for less than the price of one little bottle at 7-11.
areallygoodnameJul 14, 2010
@Peekman
That's not true. Soft drinks and bottled water get made at the same bottling plants with the same water. The water in soft drink has to meet the exact same safety and taste standards or people would complain.
One example is Peats Ridge bottling plant. They make Coca-cola and Peats Ridge Springs Water there as well as a ton of other products (no secret about it either, you can google it and see for yourself). They don't ship in different water for different products.
peekmanJul 14, 2010
@AReallyGoodName
There are 900 coca-cola bottling plants in the world. Are you telling me all my coke comes from Peats Ridge Springs???......
They do however, treat their water in a specific way so that coke tastes the same wherever you go.... but that is besides the point...
suricouJul 14, 2010
Plastic bottles can be washed and reused too. There's just a cultural convention that says you arn't supposed to do it for some vague reason.
sonstoneJul 14, 2010
@Peekman
Coke does not taste the same everywhere you go...
hivoltage815Jul 14, 2010
If we all drank distilled or reverse osmosis water, it is typically produced regionally like soft drinks usually are. Purchasing Fiji spring water is being excessive and over-the-top. But buying store brand distilled water seems perfectly reasonable to me.
akchrsJul 13, 2010
My free water and sewer bill is $83 a month.
otterpJul 13, 2010
And how many gallons do you use?
akchrsJul 13, 2010
It's not metered yet. It's just a flat rate.
acqua206Jul 14, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
crimsonjonesJul 14, 2010
How's it feel to not be buried for once, Akchrs? That's what happens when you say intelligent things.
rudeturnipJul 13, 2010
The water in bottled water is free. You're paying for a service. You're paying someone to gather the water, purify it, bottle it and truck it who-knows how many miles. It's a very inefficient service.
2004taxesJul 13, 2010
Free? I live in Nevada. I don't have any grass in my yard, I xeriscape, have a low volume toilet and shower heads, and I still pay 150 a month for water. There are three people in the house. I have one of the lowest bills in the neighborhood.
Free?
robellisJul 13, 2010
If bottled water was banned I would honestly just replace all the water I drink by going back to having way to much coke every day.
siszamJul 14, 2010
You could do the sensible thing and buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water.
russ3Jul 14, 2010
it's worth it to me to pay the dollar 29 for a bottle of poland spring, its nice and cold and doesnt taste like some terrible brackish filtered seawater.
slicksoul999Jul 13, 2010
It's worth a try, at least cut down on the amount used.
menoyouJul 13, 2010
To liberals, government can fix anything!
schaviraJul 13, 2010
Just like the USA PATRIOT Act fixed terrorism
Closed AccountJul 14, 2010
To be fair, neocons are considered "liberal" in terms of government programs, involvement, and spending. But unlike liberals, neocons are pro-war authoritarians who use religion as a tool to control the masses. So they're basically the worst of both worlds.
schaviraJul 14, 2010
Neocons still seem to have a pretty big grip over almost all conservatives today though. The Tea Party especially seems to have completely disregarded the fact that the Bush administration even happened.
suricouJul 14, 2010
Don't forget all their efforts to stamp out pornography, and the promotion of abstinance-only education with federal money.
mantiskungfuJul 14, 2010
We don't disregard Bush; we think he was a over spending douchebag at the end of his term. He lit the fire for Obama to dump gas on when it comes to spending!
schaviraJul 14, 2010
At the END of his term? What about the entire thing? If recall our deficit was running into the trillions of dollars even before the 2004 election...
loliberalsJul 13, 2010
Is will probably work as well as banning Drugs or Alcohol
dirtyfriesJul 13, 2010
Except that I don't have drugs or alcohol readily flowing from a tap in my house already.
I think I just hit on something here...
digg2point0Jul 13, 2010
Mmmmmm... LSD from the tap.
rglarson13Jul 14, 2010
You don't? I have beer flowing from a tap in my house.
ymegJul 13, 2010
Where will people get their plastic bottle fix if there is a ban?
schroederJul 13, 2010
They'll be selling it in plastic bags by the ounce!
1hrsleepJul 13, 2010
Dime bag of water?
skatethecouveJul 14, 2010
Yo wassup, I got Parisian, Rocky mountain high, Northern Glacier and some dank Oregon spring. Meet me in the parking lot after school.
shadicJul 14, 2010
Then only criminals will have bottled water!
chrysaliiJul 14, 2010
Time to start my water bootlegging business.
drdragunJul 13, 2010
Consumer education is the best way to kill this ridiculous industry. Consider it an idiocy tax on the stragglers. Government forcing it to be illegal is a stupid and expensive hammer when much more elegant solutions are available that aren't prohibition.
ecoreJul 13, 2010
That'll never happen. How will they ration water in the future?
carrot1991Jul 13, 2010
Why do people want it banned? You're paying for the materials going into bottle formation and the effort required to gather it. Not the water itself. If you don't like it, use tapwater or just...don't buy it?
s73v3rJul 13, 2010
Its the bottles that are the problem.
taiboJul 14, 2010
So do you want to ban bottled juice, soda, tea?
VeggyhedJul 14, 2010
recycle
linageeJul 14, 2010
Charge a refundable amount. Like the CRV on soda cans.
mandraqueJul 14, 2010
I dugg taibo because I do want to ban those. At least the plastic bottles. Bring back the glass bottles!
basmasta7Jul 13, 2010
Because there are a lot of plastic bottles created that go to waste. People don't like other people needlessly trashing the planet.
joot2112Jul 13, 2010
What recourse do the non-bottle-buyers have, to the exceptional volume of pollution created by these bottles? "Live and let live" doesn't work when the way YOU live f**ks up the planet for EVERYONE.
http://www.consrv.ca.gov/index/news/2003%20News%20Releases/Pages/NR2003-13_Water_Bottle_Crisis.aspx
patman21Jul 14, 2010
So, what about us people who recycle our bottles... I should be able to choose what I buy and when I buy it. Me using a couple of bottles when I don't have ready access to water isn't gonna mess up the planet. Lighten up.
zelldJul 14, 2010
@patman
Who's paying for the recycling service? You? Your HOA? Your local government directly or through subsidies?
If it's you and only you, then fine that's your choice. But that's probably not the case. I hate the fact that private sector companies and individuals get to pass the burden of their incredibly wasteful disposable products onto the community in general.
mustang460Jul 14, 2010
Yea just like all of you assh**es f**king up the planet with your electricity and various manufactured modern conveniences. What recourse do the non-electricity-users have to the exceptional volume of pollution created by modern life.
Damn it joot2112, YOU keep f**king up the WORLD for the AMISH!
suricouJul 14, 2010
Recycling is better then discarding.
Reusing is better than recycling.
Just refill the bottle from the tap, and use it again and again.
sprucecabooseJul 14, 2010
Recycling plastics generally costs more and pollutes more than it saves in the majority of the country. Sorry to burst that one for you. As for people littering the bottles or something, there are laws against that already. How about we enforce those laws before we write some laws that restricts what the general population can buy because a few are lazy pig slobs.
zelldJul 14, 2010
It shouldn't be banned. The externalities should just be incorporated into the cost.
Water Bottle Co. *may* pay for the source water, the do pay for production/shipping/etc, but they likely do not pay for disposal costs.
A lot of times governments, HOAs, environmental protection groups, or the ocean end up paying for the cost of the final step.
gsm54321Jul 14, 2010
Gasp, and what would happen if the cost from the plastic bottle's externalities was greater then just switching to glass?
If we tried to tax the externalities of plastic it would be called a socialist coercion of the market these days.
Disposal is the key, I have no problem with people buying plastic, but I do have a big problem with the pacific garbage patch.
danwgreJul 14, 2010
@gsm54321
I think banning the ENTIRE bottled water industry is a bigger "socialist coercion of the market" than making sure disposal or recycling costs are incorporated into the purchase price.
hivoltage815Jul 14, 2010
Those who call it that are too dumb to have an opinion anyways. Incorporating externalities is only fair economics. Any intelligent free market economists agrees with that. We do it with thousands of products already.
clugenheimJul 13, 2010
In my opinion, this shouldn't be very high on the list of priorities. This country has a lot more to worry about than water bottles.. people do realize we're in an unnecessary, expensive, and unwinnable war where PEOPLE are dying, right?
tirauJul 13, 2010
Three wars, in fact. The war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, and the War on Drugs.
clugenheimJul 13, 2010
True, excuse my error.. and honestly I don't see why I'm being buried, but that's okay.
skatethecouveJul 14, 2010
What about the War on Christmas?
linageeJul 14, 2010
What about the War on oil (gulf)?
sprucecabooseJul 14, 2010
The Government should have no say on Christmas one way or the other, as it is a religious holiday.
1hrsleepJul 13, 2010
Multitasking, it's an amazing thing.
soc7Jul 14, 2010
Something about "prying my water bottle out of my cold dead hands" comes to mind. The things people get excited about these days.
Closed AccountJul 14, 2010
You know our oceans are dying right? Plastic garbage patches are destroying it. Just think how many people WILL die once our oceans are depleted of life. Banning plastic bottles, bags, dixie cups, etc etc is the right direction to lesson the blow to the environment that we will see in the near future. Lets clean up the world people. Tired of the laziness. We were fine 20 to 50 years ago with less of that crap.
sprucecabooseJul 14, 2010
Lets not ban plastic bottles and instead change the way we handle trash and litter and start to actually clean the environment up.
Closed AccountJul 14, 2010
Let's not forget humans are incredibly lazzzzzzzzyyyyyyy. You have to light a fire under the ass of about 90% of the humans on this planet to get anything done. So I vote for the ban. I know I am responsible and can recycle but it doesn't mean that the rest of my neighbors are responsible to clean up after themselves. People are just stupid. Yes I have no faith in humanity.
mxm111Jul 14, 2010
This is an excuse to get nothing done. Look - wars! LA LA LA LA, screw health care, LA LA LA, screw environment, LA LA LA, screw space program, LA LA LA LA, I am not listening if you did not get the point, LA LA LA LA LA BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
fluxJul 13, 2010
yea like more nanny state bulls**t is just what the world needs
rollin03Jul 14, 2010
well said
gsm54321Jul 14, 2010
So a small town you likely don't live in deciding to ban a product they think is bad for the earth is nanny state?
Why do you hate liberty?
jonhinsonJul 14, 2010
It may not be "nanny state bulls**t", but majority rule is hardly equivalent to "liberty", no matter the level of government.
esteskidJul 14, 2010
"Why do you hate liberty?"
You realize saying this makes you sound like a assh**e, yes?
gsm54321Jul 14, 2010
"You realize saying this makes you sound like a assh**e, yes?"
You realize that saying that makes you sound like a bitch?
I thought saying things like "most people who bitch about nanny states are c**k gobblers who mainly resent having to actually help society instead of just f**king everyone over and pushing their civic duty on to the next guy, and are basically what is wrong with the society they are criticizing" did.
Still doesn't answer the question of why libertarians hate liberty.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
sprucecabooseJul 14, 2010
"Why do you hate liberty?" Please tell me that was sarcasm, because if not, you hit a whole pile of hypocrisy head on.
fluxJul 14, 2010
liberty is freedom to decide for ones self liberty is not having a few do gooders try to legislate morality for the majority that is called tyranny
go read a book you idiot
gsm54321Jul 14, 2010
I love it. Why don't you read the dictionary.
Your deffinitions are the deffinition of ignorant.
Tyranny
A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power.
2. The office, authority, or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
3. Absolute power, especially when exercised unjustly or cruelly.
Also, "liberty" which you hate, also has to include harm, otherwise it's pointless. What you are saying is that peoples Liberty to harm is greater then someones right not to be harmed, which is foolish at best.
Thanks for trying. do you have any other ways I can make you look like a fool?
maisteriJul 14, 2010
"Nanny state bulls**t" is exactly what the world needs, because people are just too f**king dumb to know for themselves.
fluxJul 14, 2010
no the world is actually more than smart enough to take care of them selves it is liberal do good er assh**es like you that screw it all up.
If idiots want to pay big bucks for water in plastic bottles let them(that is called freedom and liberty ) and a few million bottles is not going to destroy the earth no matter what chicken little bulls**t you liberal fools cry
gsm54321Jul 14, 2010
"a few million bottles is not going to destroy the earth"
Once again you show that you have no understanding of liberty. I bet you think cities making you pick up your dog's s**t is tyranny too.
Fact is, litter and pollution in the commons is Harm, and thus an abridgment of liberty. You should actually read up on this subject instead of repeating the same words you don't understand.
Just a tip: Liberty doesn't mean you get to do what ever you want and make other people pay for the consequences.
fluxJul 14, 2010
your just one warped idiot, your spouting communism and claiming it as liberty
go read something other than Wikipedia for your facts you fool
liberty has nothing to do with communal good it has to do with personal freedom
gsm54321Jul 15, 2010
And I've won!!! Way to go with calling me a communist, I'm a practically a libertarian, and you are a f**king fool.
"liberty has nothing to do with communal good it has to do with personal freedom"
You live in space? or on a mountain?
We live in a community, our actions affect other people. you breath air that was affected by others. Saying that no one can tell you to stop doing things that affect others is ignorant, and hurtful of liberty in the long run.
as to wikipedia, that was a link to a book, a book your comment seems to show you have never read. Please continue, I enjoy emasculating you so much. Maybe you'll actually say something smart instead of just calling me a fool while proving your own ignorance.
fluxJul 15, 2010
no your a so called pseudointelectual ( in your own mind ) and a complete idiot who thinks hey are the only one who understands but your just a self indulgent fool
fluxJul 15, 2010
explain to me in the declaration of independence what life liberty and pursuit of happiness means
in your little world it must mean life, communal responsibility, and happiness
emitstopJul 13, 2010
Although bottled water is a waste of money, should it be banned? No.
assassyn360Jul 13, 2010
Agreed. The first thing deployed to a disaster area is bottled water for the populace. But, it is too bad it adds to the huge mess in these disaster declared areas.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
linageeJul 14, 2010
They should have a modified version of your idea. Dispense out bottled water, but offer to refill it at filtered tap water stations.
suricouJul 14, 2010
I've seen the disaster area water supply. It's not bottles: It's big tankers full of water.
I assume that smaller containers are refilled from those tankers. Bottles must be involved as the last step, but it's not just going and buying bottled water like you would get in a store.
jayjaylolJul 13, 2010
I only use bottled water for portability conveniences. Of course, I only have a few bottles and refill them with tap water.
janineeeJul 13, 2010
There are metal ones that keep your water cooler, are easier to clean and safer to reuse than plastic. It's really irritating when you buy one then accidentally leave it somewhere though.
gsm54321Jul 14, 2010
yep, I re-use my water bottles at least 5 times before I lose it.
An outright ban is a terrible idea, but taxing the environmental damage that the plastic does isn't a bad idea at all.
I have no problem with people buying plastic, but I do have a big problem with the pacific garbage patch.
rudegarJul 14, 2010
"yep, I re-use my water bottles at least 5 times before I lose it."
lose it like forget it somewhere, or lose it mel gibson style ? :P
gsm54321Jul 14, 2010
A little from column A, a little from column B.
morticaeJul 14, 2010
@gsm54321
For reference (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch)
I'm astonished at the backlash against the sentiment of this idea. The idea of "liberty" only exists up to the point where it infringes upon another person's rights. Personally, I feel that my right to have an ocean that doesn't consist of toxic sludge trumps others' right to convenient water containers. YMMV I suppose.
ymegJul 13, 2010
Tax increase and price ceiling.
glassagateJul 14, 2010
Learn English.
What are your trying to say. Can you reiterate, in English, perhaps.
rglarson13Jul 14, 2010
Ow, my sense of irony.
And, by the way, let me introduce you to my pal, the Question Mark: "?"
hivoltage815Jul 14, 2010
How does putting a price ceiling on it solve anything? You are just decreasing the water distributor's profits while not giving the citizens any incentive to cut down on water consumption.
It is already an incredibly competitive market: profits are low.
skittlesusaJul 13, 2010
Is there any more evidence necessary that the liberal idea of a nanny-state is completely contrary to freedom?
Of course– to you guys freedom includes smoking pot and pirating music. But buying bottled water? HELL NO!
Brilliant.
digg2point0Jul 13, 2010
Yeah... it's the damn liberals after our freedom...
Ignore the right trying to push religious ideals as law.
sumtallguy1Jul 14, 2010
Two wrongs don't make a right.
skittlesusaJul 13, 2010
"Ignore the right trying to push religious ideals as law."
Any examples as asinine as BANNING BOTTLED WATER?
5c4r74c3Jul 14, 2010
I can't buy liquor on Sunday...because some people demand we reserve the day for their sky wizard. that is a pretty good one.
delihoundJul 14, 2010
@5c4r74c3: Agreed!
skittlesusaJul 14, 2010
I agree that's a stupid law.
Still, not being able to buy liquor on Sunday is not near as bad as permanently banning the sale of bottled water, would you agree?Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
wingmaster1Jul 14, 2010
Banning bottled water isn't a stupid law. It has a legitimate foundation in public safety.
suricouJul 14, 2010
Several states in the US have a special exemption in their child protection laws that state no parent may be prosecuted for child abuse or neglect if they were acting in accordance with their religious beliefs.
Google on "Madeline Neumann." Diabetic girl who'se parents decided that rather than turn to doctors or drugs, they would heal her through the power of their prayer alone. She died, and they are free to raise their several remaining children, protected by their state's abuse exception.
the2dquartetJul 25, 2010
How about insisting that the teaching of creationism be given equal priority in schools to the theory of evolution?
rollin03Jul 14, 2010
Democrat or Republican, how asinine is banning bottled water? I think we should take it to the next level and ban Abercrombie and Fitch and just make us all wear white t shirts made by the government.
hivoltage815Jul 14, 2010
Carls Jr. could sponsor the shirts, and then they would be free!
tyrghastJul 14, 2010
Smoking pot and pirating music don't exponentially increase the amount of waste in already overburdened landfills.
kahnzaJul 13, 2010
Only reason I buy bottled water is because all the water in my building is soft and undrinkable. Take away bottled water and I have nothing to drink.
hydesJul 13, 2010
since when is soft water undrinkable?
kahnzaJul 13, 2010
You try drinking salty water and see what happens after awhile.
s73v3rJul 13, 2010
Buy a water purifier.
hydesJul 14, 2010
i drank soft water for the better part of my life and have no problems so far
kahnzaJul 14, 2010
Other than intaking far more salt than your body needs.
dougman82Jul 14, 2010
It doesn't matter if soft water is technically "safe to drink" or not. It tastes completely disgusting.
suricouJul 14, 2010
Huh? I thought it's *hard* water that tastes bad.
I will say this - as I am british, and thus automatically an authority on the subject - you cannot make as good a cup of tea with hard water as you can with soft.
sonstoneJul 14, 2010
I'm pretty sure that the proposed solution is for you to buy a bottle of coke instead.
diskohJul 13, 2010
Say what you want, bottled water tastes better than the sludge from my tap.
raskaliJul 13, 2010
As the New York times reported, 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years. Since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.
shawnsoniumJul 14, 2010
If you buy bottled water all the time, invest in a water cooler that uses the 5 gallon jugs.
I f**king hate the water that comes out of my tap, so I bought a good water cooler for 300 bucks a few years ago. I have three 5-gallon jugs that I cycle through and manually refill at a refilling station for $2.89 each. There's no waste, no s**tty-tasting water, and it's very cheap. My water cooler has easily paid for itself, considering I used to buy bottled water all the time.
mandraqueJul 14, 2010
Bottled water has WAY less standards than tap water. You decide if you want to drink something that isnt pretty much unregulated for quality.
patman21Jul 14, 2010
have you tried a brita filter? It works wonders.
oneilcoolJul 14, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfPAjUvvnIc
watch it to realize how wrong you are.
diskohJul 14, 2010
Wrong about the taste of my tap water? haha. I can f**king SMELL it.
But lol @ "libertarian" Penn and Teller giving lack of government regulation as the reason to avoid bottled water.
oneilcoolJul 14, 2010
So you merely watched the first 2 minutes of the video and failed to watch the whole second half where they make people look like idiots who think bottled water taste better?
The whole point of showing that bottled water wasn't government regulated WASN'T to say stay away from tap water, there point was that bottle water isn't any safer than tap water. Tap water and bottled water have the same chemicals in it, got that? (I'm going through this slow because you seemed to have completely missed the point the first time)
The "libertarian" Penn and Teller expect that you can use common sense and buy the cheaper product when there is no difference between them.(The cheaper product is tap water, FYI) It's all marketing and placebo, they make you think bottled water taste better, so you are convinced it is. It's not your fault, its just the way the human mind works.
Go back, watch the rest of the video, try not to miss the point this time.
aubieguy333Jul 14, 2010
In general I agree that tap water is as good if not better than bottled water, but it isn't always the case. When I visit family in Florida their tap water makes me gag, even just smelling it in the shower. I guess it's because I'm used to tap water from rivers and lakes, where most of Florida's is desalinated ocean water.
bemenakerJul 14, 2010
It's called a charcoal filter. Brita, Pure, and many others. All bottled water is, is tap water run through one.
Closed AccountJul 13, 2010
Why is it that people are always thinking they know better than me? If I want to buy it I will, if I don't I won't.
hokie47Jul 13, 2010
I drink my own piss.
tommyrJul 14, 2010
That's fine, as long as you drink it immediately. It's sterile as it comes out!
You go boy!
mandraqueJul 14, 2010
I drink it straight from the tap!
meribianJul 14, 2010
Are you from Germany or something?
letsdienowJul 14, 2010
what the hell does that have to do with Germany?
Golden showers aren't specific to the sex hungry country of Germany
meribianJul 14, 2010
I know, but I could tell by his pic that he couldn't possible have a Japanese background.
serif69Jul 14, 2010
Hey, Kevin Costner! I didn't know you were on digg!
muffinmonkJul 14, 2010
Is it necessary to drink my own urine? Hell no, but it's sterile, and I like the taste.
Closed AccountJul 14, 2010
I used to drink; now I simply inject.
bamazombiepunchJul 13, 2010
No one must live in New Mexico or other remote southwest places. The water in my tap is pretty much undrinkable. Its full of s**t that will give you kidney stones. I have three gallon jugs that I refill at water stations.
Closed AccountJul 13, 2010
In 18 years, I never had a problem there.
bamazombiepunchJul 13, 2010
Alamogordo?
Closed AccountJul 13, 2010
Carlsbad
geneikilluaJul 14, 2010
How quaint.
biohazard87Jul 13, 2010
In Las Vegas, the water is extremely hard, and dries uncleanly with white residue. It is pretty gross to drink, and I always prefer buying bottled water as the taste is unbearable, much worse than Southern California tap water.
clonedJul 13, 2010
Same in Phoenix, the water is hard and leaves thick mineral deposits on whatever it evaporates off of.
notriddleJul 14, 2010
You're not the only person living there, and there is an answer. Buy a water purifier.
haikufuJul 14, 2010
I lived in ND, and you cannot drink the well water on the farms. The people that did had nasty dark brown teeth, and mineral deposits on their teeth. It's disgusting. Additionally, most of the wells drilled there are only 30 feet deep, which isn't deep enough to properly filter the organisms out of the water.
That said, banning bottled water in large cities/metro areas shouldn't be a problem. The water out of the tap is better. I AM a f**king water snob, and tap water, when filtered properly, is WAY better than any bottled water.
If they want to do a ban, the best way to do it is just to make a minimum size on bottled water containers. Make 1 gallon the minimum, and it would probably reduce the plastic waste by 95% or more. That way, people who need it could still get it, and jackasses buying 20oz bottles at the convenience store would be forced to get a portable bottle with a carbon filter built into it. Those things are way better than bottled water anyway.
zomgondoJul 14, 2010
Damn, I think you just found the perfect solution... I'm going to quote you higher up in the thread.
sublime8510Jul 14, 2010
I like your idea as well.
penclnckJul 13, 2010
Pretty much stupid people are always buying bottled water. But do you want the government to ban bottle water? Water.... in a bottle. Banning that only makes it that much easier to ban anything else.
An then there are times when bottle water is a good thing to have. My wife and I went to the Orlando area for a vacation and the tap water was for s**t, smells of sulfur. When we ate out the first night, we asked for water, tasted like crap. We tried soda, same awful taste. I ended up drinking apple juice and my wife had beer since they were the only drinks that didn't involve tap water. We hit Wal Mart after that and purchased a couple of cases of bottled water for drinking. We would of been screwed if bottled water was banned.
If you are against bottled water (99% of the time I find it pointless), then use your voice in the free market and don't purchase it. Just because you don't like it doesn't give you the right to force some one else to not have that option.
inolesJul 13, 2010
Especially the Summer time in the Orlando area, it can get extremely HOT. You end up buying more bottled water to avoid heat exhaustion.
biohazard87Jul 13, 2010
If you lived in one of those places where the tap sucks (like you were saying Orlando), I live in Las Vegas and the tap is pretty horrible, so for those people, bottled water is NOT 99% of the time pointless. It's very useful, the 24 packs of bottled water here is cheaper than buying gallon bottles of water.
You could say "oh get a water filter" but for people in apartments who move frequently + have lots of people that need water. they become impractical.
patman21Jul 14, 2010
they make filters that go right on your faucet. Have you tried one of those?
rollin03Jul 14, 2010
I disagree - it is stupid people drinking flouridated water and the litany of prescription drugs/birth control pills that are left in it that are not completely filtered out.
dougman82Jul 14, 2010
You're against water fluoridation?!?!
acidfairyyJul 14, 2010
In the Midlands in England, our water has been fluoridated for the best part of 50 years. Guess what? We have the best teeth in the country.
haikufuJul 14, 2010
So make the law so it doesn't ban bottle water, just makes it so there's a minimum size for the container it's sold in.
aubieguy333Jul 14, 2010
Orlando water is s**t. I have family there and they've been filtering the tap water for 12 years now, and even after being filtered it doesn't taste right, just not so much like rubber and sulfur.
stickyheadJul 13, 2010
Bottled water isn't evil. The problem is that people are too lazy to carry around an empty reusable bottle or don't want to get a Brita pitcher. The bottled stuff I think is best used in emergencies. I'd get a Culligan stand for drinking water at home if your water is gross. Cheaper and a hell of a lot less wasteful than individual bottles.
mabba18Jul 13, 2010
It doesn't need to be banned. If idiots want to waste their money on it they should be free to do so.
That said, governments should:
Tax the hell out of it, and use the revenue to improve public water sources and recycling programs.
Force companies to revel the exact source of the water prominently on the label.
Test and regulate the safety of bottled water, at the cost of the seller.
Ban companies from re-selling municipal water supplies.
Make it law that any building open to the public must have accessible and working water fountains. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
dusanmalJul 14, 2010
All of your ideas start from the point that Govt. is there to control and engineer our behavior. Maybe in N.Korea or Iran, but not here. Govt. is here to serve us, paid for that by our money. Taxing particular group of people to force change in behavior is equally evil as jailing dissidents. Free market is there to decide what should be on the label except the content - label needs to say it is water inside, rest is up to marketing in free society. "At the cost of the seller" is always "at the cost of the customer", just another form of taxation. Why municipal water supplies shouldn't end up in a bottle? - Company is paying every last cent for it and some municipalities do have excellent water (my local Huntington, NY tap repeatedly brings US and international awards, even vs. famous Euro-spas...). Earnings both for local municipality and profitable business - everyone wins... And you'd like it banned... Buildings open to public are there for their own business and it likely is not hydrating people. Again, assumption that all people are idiots who can't find water and Govt. needs to nanny them and make sure it is there whenever they wish - what's next? - mandating every building to have salad bar as someone might be hungry?
patman21Jul 14, 2010
actually, I would really like if they put where they got the water from on the bottle. It's like the ingredients label on everything else.
mandy12052Jul 14, 2010
It would be nice to see a source on the bottle, but other ingredients labels don't tell you where your high fructose corn syrup is coming from. Bad simile.
rollin03Jul 14, 2010
Couldn't have said it better myself than dusanmal said it above me. I think we should tax mabba's porn habits as they are unnecessary and wasteful.
avernessJul 14, 2010
Good points, except where you suggest the government should add extra taxes, so they can use the money to ---no, the money gets stolen, regardless, and is never put to whatever good use it's supposedly earmarked for. Where has all the billions of dollars gone from overtaxing tobacco? Alcohol? It gets stolen by politicians, and with each great idea someone comes up with for government to save us through new taxes, we just get taxed more and get nothing in return. I would urge you never to make the silly suggestion that 'they should tax it and use the money to..' for anything, because it's not helping anyone but corrupt politicians.
suricouJul 14, 2010
"Tax the hell out of it,"
"Make it law that any building open to the public must have accessible and working water fountains."
Hmm.... I sense a conflict here.
ousthouseJul 13, 2010
I don't know what the tap water is like where these people live, but where I live it has a horrible taste to it.. and whatever it is that makes the water taste horrible can't be good for me.
darwininmotionJul 14, 2010
People still drink bottled water even in cities with fantastic drinking water, eg. Melbourne. Fair enough when you're caught out without anything else or travelling, but buying giant slabs of bottled water at the supermarket?? Waste of money in my city.
suricouJul 14, 2010
It's the mineral content. Unpleasant, but essentially harmless. The worst it can do is add to your salt intake.
It's far less harmless to machines though - shortens the lifespan of kettles, washing machines, dishwashers, boilers... anything that heats water up.
bracomadarJul 13, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwogQWLEqW8
Closed AccountJul 13, 2010
There are a few situations where bottled water is actually a good idea. Say you're driving across the country and have nothing to drink in your car, and don't want soda or other sugary crap, and don't have your own bottle, or in vending machines, or at concerts, sports events, etc.
Though instead of brand names on the labels there should be a giant bright orange "RECYCLE THIS BOTTLE", and they shouldn't cost four goddamn dollars.
For home usage, bottled water is stupid. Just get a brita pitcher and take the bi-daily 30 seconds to fill it up.
patman21Jul 14, 2010
meh, I have about 4 bottles in my bedroom. Saves the time to walk over to the fridge. (although I do fill them up with brita water)
testiculeseJul 14, 2010
There's a super-duper easy solution to your problem.
PLAN AHEAD.
Closed AccountJul 13, 2010
I can agree that we seem to have WAY too much packaging in the USA. I don't want the government to regulate it, but sometimes I go to the store and I look at the applesauce. Put into individual plastic one-servings ... covered with carboard and wrapped in plastic and I think, "What the hell?" There is more packaging than applesauce.
There must be a demand. I'll buy a jar and put it in the fridge. If I was a parent, I might put servings into washable and re-usable plastic containers for my kids at school.
We DO seem to have this weird obsession with overpackaging...
....but this is just stupid. Why not get rid of bottled Coke? Bottled orange juice? Bottles? All plastic? Are there biodegradable containers? Do you not recycle your plastic?
And I agree with people who believe that bottled water tastes better. It does. I drink tap water, but sometimes...on a hot day...a cold bottle of water is wonderful.
We really need to stop thinking that the regulations ought to solve everything.
arcookeJul 13, 2010
Yeah, they need to work on alternatives to plastic containers/wrappers used for disposable items. For permanent or semi-permanent items, plastic is fine. But when you use it obsessively for things that are designed to get used and thrown right away, there needs to be a better solution. Something that IS biodegradable. A ban is just a band aid. Need to start at the source of the problem.
glassagateJul 14, 2010
I agree that we have too much packaging. Things are improving, though.
I still dislike the fortress-like packaging on electronics. I wish that plastic
caps on things like water bottles, if they are to continue to be around,
were made from either #1 or #2 plastics.
There are areas where we need more regulations, and areas where
we need less regulations. I don't know about this situation.
I'd would like to see a push for more eco-friendly pop cans,
by either making them paintless, or eco-friendly paint.
Closed AccountJul 14, 2010
"I still dislike the fortress-like packaging on electronics."
Oh Gee...preach it. It drives me nuts! Hard plastic that you have to CUT through!
"I wish that plastic
caps on things like water bottles, if they are to continue to be around,
were made from either #1 or #2 plastics."
On my trip down south I noticed that they ARE putting smaller caps on the bottles and explaining why. I don't know why it hasn't made it up to Illinois yet.
Maybe we suffered some when the d**kh**ds decided to inject poison into things. Now we have to have safer packaging. Dunno. Just a thought.
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glassagateJul 14, 2010
Some time ago, I heard about plastics made with a corn base.
The early ones were an improvement, but they still had flaws.
autokadJul 14, 2010
every time a liberal tells me how i have to live my life i go pour oil on a duck
plainoldfoolJul 14, 2010
Is that an irrational right-wing rant or a euphemism for masturbation?
rglarson13Jul 14, 2010
Wait, regulation can't solve all of my problems? You mean all of my hard work lobbying to get ignorance on the Internet banned is just wasted effort?
burrduggJul 13, 2010
If bottled water is banned, where will all the water from melting glaciers go?
rossiprojectsJul 14, 2010
Hope it`s a joke otherwise you are totally retarded.
Closed AccountJul 13, 2010
http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/
soc7Jul 14, 2010
Good vid. Fiji water couldn't beat out Cleveland municipal water for taste and quality. Go figure.
russ3Jul 14, 2010
fiji water is also a nasty minerally mess
tyrghastJul 14, 2010
Interesting video. It got a little self-righteous at the end, and she didn't actually show and pictures or evidence of her trip to India.
joot2112Jul 13, 2010
Can they put water in aluminum cans instead, like everything else?
Are they also trying to ban soda in plastic bottles?
corneljeJul 13, 2010
I must use bottled water for brushing my teeth, cooking, and drinking.
djkwokJul 13, 2010
don't forget showering!
corneljeJul 13, 2010
I wasn't actually being sarcastic. I live in China and sometimes the tap water comes out brown.
I have considered washing my hair/face with bottled water though.
sonstoneJul 14, 2010
I'm surprised digg makes it through the firewall.
notriddleJul 14, 2010
How about buying it in metal cans or some other decent container, instead? Or at least in plastic jugs?
corneljeJul 14, 2010
I do buy jugs once in a while, but it doesn't really matter. All of my garbage is picked through by people who take all the plastic and paper out to sell to recyclers. Plastic doesn't go to waste.
notriddleJul 14, 2010
Still cheaper to buy the jug, am I right?
Also, recycling takes energy, so it isn't a fix-all. (also, I don't think the caps are recyclable)
corneljeJul 14, 2010
About the same price/liter actually. Fun China conservation fact though, the beer bottles aren't melted and reformed, just washed and refilled. Formaldehyde residue is still in the bottle and that is why the beer here tastes like horse piss.
notriddleJul 14, 2010
Even just washing and refilling takes more energy than just not using at all. :) Of course, it still doesn't change that recycling isn't supposed to result in a worse product. (boo the Chinese beer companies)
Looks like someone needs to come up with a cheaper way to recycle beer bottles that doesn't leave residue.
taiboJul 14, 2010
Buy a water filter, they are dirt cheap in China.
russ3Jul 14, 2010
pets need bottled water too!
thejasonresnoJul 13, 2010
The things we waste time on.
bigcheezerJul 14, 2010
Exactly. No one gives a s**t about bottled water except the Whackos who want to ban everything. Just for this article, I am going to go out and buy not 1, but 2 big bottles of water, and drink them for lunch today.
thejasonresnoJul 14, 2010
Right. I don't care what you guys say. Having a 48 pack of bottled water, for like 5 bucks, is damn handy for grabbin for a drive, going out to play sports, emergencies, etc.
cobaltscribeJul 13, 2010
As other posts have pointed out, bottled water is largely a scam (I consider spring water, mineral water in particular, to be somewhat different--but I doubt legislators would realize the difference.), in much of the country tap water has a horrendous taste, and we do not need the government regulating every aspect of our lives.
Yes, marijuana should be legal, gays should be allowed to marry, and bottled water should remain legal.
and303Jul 13, 2010
I'd hope they'd do something about the natural gas industry destroying our local ground water before banning the alternative.
glassagateJul 13, 2010
Well, local tap water has far more regulations that bottled water. We
need more regulations on bottled water.
Also, the bottlers should design a recyclable cap. Preferably a
#1 or #2. Preferably a #1, since that is what the bottles are.
gmstoneJul 14, 2010
Those extra regulations mean municipal water has chlorine and flouride. If you want pure water, it won't come out of a city water system.
glassagateJul 14, 2010
I'm not saying that tap water is going to always be better, just don't assume
that all bottled water is pure, unless the bottle states that it's steam distilled.
gmstoneJul 15, 2010
I don't assume all bottled water is pure, but at least I'd like a choice. I don't want politicians eliminating my preferred water source (whatever it happens to be).
animan351Jul 13, 2010
I'm a firefighter and there's been so many times where we've needed bottled water and so much of it that there's just not any other descent alternative. Plus there's the time when other emergencies come up. What do you think you'll want if the water line to your house breaks or you end up going out and deciding to hike a trail you find? I guess when you go to the gas station to get some water to take with you you'll have to just pick up a few bottles of soda instead.
notriddleJul 14, 2010
There are other ways of transporting water. Jugs already exist, but cans would work to.
Bottled soda is worse than water, nobody would deny that.
animan351Jul 14, 2010
When your out fighting a wild land fire and you're in the heat burning fire lines and trying to protect property, jugs are not an option to be able to carry in your pocket when you're a mile away from a truck or road. Cans don't work very well to reseal and try an conserve the bit of water you manage to carry with you either.
testiculeseJul 14, 2010
Ever hear of a canteen?
suricouJul 14, 2010
Then just refill the bottle.
frostman3dJul 14, 2010
Ban bottled water? WTF is wrong with this country? People are tired of being backed into a f**king corner by all this GODDAMNED BULLs**t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
grammerpantsJul 14, 2010
Why just water bottles? Why not all plastic bottles, if you are going to ban them at all might as well be fair.
haikufuJul 14, 2010
I wouldn't cry if we went back to glass.
sulthernaoJul 14, 2010
Because you get free flowing water on tap in your house. Other stuff? Not so much.
s0nicfreakJul 14, 2010
I'm pretty sure flowing water from the tap is NOT free.
chikutenJul 14, 2010
I'm pretty sure that's the route, but they're starting with bottled water because it's an industry that just creates massive amounts of waste. Bottled water is just tap, so they're just creating trash by flooding the the market with bottles. They might as well leave the bottles empty and just sell that.
uaedaienJul 14, 2010
Its only in the US where most bottled water is filter water from the tap.
Mineral water is mainly sold elsewhere.
clonedJul 14, 2010
I'm lucky enough to live in a place where the water isn't hard, but whenever I go traveling even in state, every gas station's tap or fountain water is gross and full of minerals, so instead of filling a bottle there I just buy a bottle of water.
Maybe if those places provided a good alternative (read good water) people wouldn't be buying a ton of bottled water and throwing them away. If they want to ban bottled water, they should provide purified water out of a fountain for people to fill up.
riverstyxJul 14, 2010
The penn and teller episode about it was great. Evian spelled backwards, anyone?
megajoe67Jul 14, 2010
Scam
Slang.
n.
A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle.
How is buying a bottle of water a scam? It's water in a bottle.
hawaiianruleJul 14, 2010
They need to ban plastic bags first
chikutenJul 14, 2010
It's happening faster than any bottled water changes. For example, in my prefecture in Japan, more and more supermarkets are starting to charge for every plastic bag you use, and most places are requesting for customers to bring their own reusable bags. Some even go as far as to rent out cotton bags. (You pay a small fee for a bag, and then they reimburse you when you bring that bag back.)
tommyrJul 14, 2010
Bottled water isn't better and was never any better than tap water. "A fool and his money..." anyone?
Read the labels. "municipal water source" = TAP WATER for instance.
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kalvinbJul 14, 2010
No s**t it's tap water. If municipalities would clean the water before sending it to my sink then I wouldn't need to pay someone else to filter it for me.
I'm not paying for an exotic water source. I'm paying for clean water.
nainsellJul 14, 2010
And that means we should ban it because....?
icereaperx303Jul 14, 2010
Recycle
jaxxbatJul 14, 2010
yeah raise the deposit to $1
acidfairyyJul 14, 2010
So what happens if I am out and about and get thirsty and just fancy a bottle of water? I have to buy bottled sugar?
jaxxbatJul 14, 2010
hide it in a paper bag ,, like we did with beer cans ..
ripersnifleJul 14, 2010
Don't ban something that doesn't hurt people for f**k sake. This is kinda lke the burqa in France...nobody should be forced to use it or prevented from using it.
ieeeJul 14, 2010
There is an island of plastic garbage the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean.
How long do you want to wait until you pronounce it as "harmful"?
factorof13Jul 14, 2010
I rely on bottled water when I'm traveling. I don't drink soda. Juice is fine, but water is pretty much all I ever drink anymore besides coffee. Just start selling it in glass bottles. Problem solved. Everybody's happy.
exoticfoxholesJul 14, 2010
No.
superherofiveJul 14, 2010
Sorry, Charlie. I drink bottled water because where I live we don't have city drinking water and the well water isn't exactly clean enough for my liking. Perhaps it's because the city dump is about 300 yards away and I can just see all those wonderful toxins seeping into my drinking water.
So if bottled water gets banned I'll literally dehydrate. Of course I still have to worry about BPA...
avernessJul 14, 2010
You should move away from the dump. I guess you don't notice the smell anymore.
hurricanedcJul 14, 2010
that really f**king sucks