Is Bottled Water Better?

Recently, some friends have been debating the rationale for consuming bottled water in Tallahassee. As much as I love those trendy bottles of sparkling VOSS that I can buy in several local stores, is it really better than our own tap water? And, are we harming the environment by first buying those plastic bottles? And second, what about the cost to recycle all those plastics? Some VOSS comes in glass, but that doesn't justify the environmental costs to transport it from a glacial fed aquifer in the wilderness of southern Norway!

The City issues an annual water quality report which says our tap water is pretty fine for drinking. Local stores sell some pretty cool reusable plastic bottles, just be sure to wash them frequently.

For more on the costs of bottled water, the Union of Concerned Scientist recently issued this report
which talks about fossil fuel consumption, water consumption and waste.

Posted in: bottled water