Zaroc Stone
2008-08-11 01:40:44 UTC
Bottled Water: The Height of Stupidity
By Diane Francis, Huffington Post. Posted August 6, 2008.
Bottled water is a joke, one of the biggest consumer and taxpayer ripoffs
ever.
Bottled water is a joke, one of the biggest consumer and taxpayer ripoffs
ever. I applaud California's Attorney General Jerry Brown who said recently
that he will sue to block a proposed water-bottling operation in Northern
California by Nestle.
Next, Attorneys General everywhere should require recycling of all plastic
bottles and containers by requiring deposits to be paid to encourage
returns, as is the case with aluminum cans. Not only do society and the
environment pay an unfair price for this consumer hoax, but consumers are
being hoodwinked. They are paying from 300 to 3,000 times more than the cost
of tap water without any benefit.
An estimate by a University of Toronto geology professor Andrew Miall, who
took a picture of a grocery store skid of bottled water and calculated the
extent of the ripoff, found the stack of bottles:
Contains 24,192 bottles, each containing 500 ml of water, a total of 12,096
liters of water, in 314.5 kg of plastic
Purchase price of the $4.99 per 24-bottle pack is $0.42 per liter for a
total retail value of $5,029.92
To purchase the same volume of water in bulk through Toronto's domestic
water supply would cost $16.93
The scam
The water is usually not superior to "city" water or tap water, and is
merely a big branding hoax by soda makers. In some cases, this "designer"
water is drawn from tap water and labeled for suckers to buy as though it is
a superior product.
Dasani in Britain was caught doing this. There are not regulations or proper
labeling requirements governing bottled water as there is involving tap
water. Some water may be contaminated.
Bottles of water are not fluoridated which has been created tooth decay
problems among youngsters and adults who avoid tap water.
There are indications that the plastic may contain harmful carcinogens.
Bottles of water are mini gas guzzlers
One expert estimated that the amount of petroleum -- used to make the
bottles, transport, refrigerate, collect and bury them -- would fill
one-third of each bottle.
These plastic bottles are creating landfill problems worldwide, and are
washing up on beautiful beaches around the planet.
What's wrong with using filters, if people are concerned about local water
supplies, and refillable bottles?
Another stupidity
A real estate developer explained the idiocy of ordering bottled water in
restaurants. He said bylaws require special water filtration systems be
installed so that their "tap water" is safer than any.
Of course, there's always those who want fancy sparkling or soda water, but
that's another issue. About the only justification for bottled water is in
developing countries where water supplies are decidedly unsafe or
untrustworthy.
By Diane Francis, Huffington Post. Posted August 6, 2008.
Bottled water is a joke, one of the biggest consumer and taxpayer ripoffs
ever.
Bottled water is a joke, one of the biggest consumer and taxpayer ripoffs
ever. I applaud California's Attorney General Jerry Brown who said recently
that he will sue to block a proposed water-bottling operation in Northern
California by Nestle.
Next, Attorneys General everywhere should require recycling of all plastic
bottles and containers by requiring deposits to be paid to encourage
returns, as is the case with aluminum cans. Not only do society and the
environment pay an unfair price for this consumer hoax, but consumers are
being hoodwinked. They are paying from 300 to 3,000 times more than the cost
of tap water without any benefit.
An estimate by a University of Toronto geology professor Andrew Miall, who
took a picture of a grocery store skid of bottled water and calculated the
extent of the ripoff, found the stack of bottles:
Contains 24,192 bottles, each containing 500 ml of water, a total of 12,096
liters of water, in 314.5 kg of plastic
Purchase price of the $4.99 per 24-bottle pack is $0.42 per liter for a
total retail value of $5,029.92
To purchase the same volume of water in bulk through Toronto's domestic
water supply would cost $16.93
The scam
The water is usually not superior to "city" water or tap water, and is
merely a big branding hoax by soda makers. In some cases, this "designer"
water is drawn from tap water and labeled for suckers to buy as though it is
a superior product.
Dasani in Britain was caught doing this. There are not regulations or proper
labeling requirements governing bottled water as there is involving tap
water. Some water may be contaminated.
Bottles of water are not fluoridated which has been created tooth decay
problems among youngsters and adults who avoid tap water.
There are indications that the plastic may contain harmful carcinogens.
Bottles of water are mini gas guzzlers
One expert estimated that the amount of petroleum -- used to make the
bottles, transport, refrigerate, collect and bury them -- would fill
one-third of each bottle.
These plastic bottles are creating landfill problems worldwide, and are
washing up on beautiful beaches around the planet.
What's wrong with using filters, if people are concerned about local water
supplies, and refillable bottles?
Another stupidity
A real estate developer explained the idiocy of ordering bottled water in
restaurants. He said bylaws require special water filtration systems be
installed so that their "tap water" is safer than any.
Of course, there's always those who want fancy sparkling or soda water, but
that's another issue. About the only justification for bottled water is in
developing countries where water supplies are decidedly unsafe or
untrustworthy.