I always thought bottled water was the best thing on the planet; however, after being educated by my professor and conducting my own research, my whole perspective on bottled water has changed. But what exactly is a bottled water? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, “water is classified as ‘bottled water’ or ‘drinking water’ when it meets all applicable federal and state standards, is sealed in a sanitary container and is sold for human consumption” (“Bottled Water FAQS”). To most of us, a bottle of water is a shiny, durable container filled with refreshing water that is consumed every day. However, there is a secret story behind the use of …show more content…
Since bottled water does not last very long, it adds up to a bigger pile of trash (3). This is where landfills come into place and keep its trash forever. However, there is only so much land we can use to store our trash and keep it out of sight. This planet may seem huge but it is definitely not big enough to hold us and our billions of trash that we produce. Most of our worthless, empty bottled water ends up in the ocean besides on land. More specifically, it ends up in a placed called The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is a “collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean” (“Great Pacific Garbage Patch”). The amount of debris accumulates because not all plastic are biodegradable, which includes bottled water. As mentioned earlier, the amount of sunlight beaming through the plastic containers allows the bottle to leach BPA and thus, release its dangerous toxins in the water. It is even worse when the ocean’s currents mix the toxic chemicals with the salt water, expanding its pollution. Although the size of the patch is unknown, many reports say it could be twice the size of the continental United States (“Great Pacific Garbage Patch”). As expressed, the amount of bottled water being thrown annually produces a major source of pollution and thus, bottled waters should be banned in order to protect our