Fuelled by today’s health conscious culture, where we are more aware than ever of what we put into our bodies and bombarded by pictures
of glamorous celebrities clutching bottles of water, drinking bottled water has been linked to a pure and wholesome lifestyle.
But while fresh drinking water is essential to our daily well-being, is bottled water really the healthiest option for you, your family and the planet?
Bottled water can cost up to a staggering 1000 times more than tap water.
With the average Briton drinking 37.6 litres of bottled water a year, bottled water suddenly seems like an unnecessarily expensive option – particularly at a time when household budgets are squeezed.
A team of scientists found that 70% of popular bottled water brands have surprisingly high levels of bacteria and significantly higher levels than tap water.
Although not a major risk to most people, these levels could pose a threat to vulnerable members of society such as the elderly, pregnant women and children.
Producing and delivering bottled water can create hundreds of times more harmful greenhouse gas compared to tap water.
We can buy bottled water that is flown in from all over the world, from countries such as Fiji where one third of the population doesn’t have access to clean drinking water.
And it’s not only the producing and delivering that costs the environment.
As only 1 in 4 plastic bottles are recycled, the rest are dumped in landfill sites or litter our streets, park, rivers and beaches, it will take up to 450 years for these plastics to break down.