Plastic water bottles are a habit the world cannot seem to shake. According to a BBC report, the bottled water market is booming. Estimated sales should reach £266 billion this year, with continued growth peaking at around £350 billion by 2029.

That is a lot of money for water. In fact, you could buy Manchester United for that and still have change. The Glazers are after a mere £5 billion.

The hidden cost of plastic water bottles

However, the price tag is not the only cost. Plastic water bottles carry a serious environmental impact too. Only 2.3% of the bottled water market uses glass. The rest is plastic, and even recycled PET takes a heavy toll on the environment.

Energy used to make bottled water

A research paper, Energy implications of bottled water, found something striking. Producing bottled water requires between 5.6 and 10.2 megajoules per litre, as much as 2,000 times the energy cost of producing tap water.

The same paper estimated that the annual US consumption of 33 billion litres of bottled water in 2007 required the energy equivalent of 32 to 54 million barrels of oil. That is around a third of one percent of total US primary energy consumption. Globally, the figure was roughly three times higher.

These figures come from 2007 US data. If you factor in the chart below[1] and the projected market growth, the title of this blog starts to make sense. Why bother with plastic water bottles at all?

Tap up your tap instead

Plastic water bottles are convenient. Of course they are. But how hard is it really to fill a reusable bottle from your tap at home?

Drinking water systems for the home

We sell a range of drinking water systems that improve the quality of the water you drink. They look elegant in any kitchen and they cut the need for plastic water bottles altogether.

There is no such thing as truly pure water, especially straight from the mains. Limescale, chlorine, lead, sediment and bacteria can all find their way into our supply. Funny tastes and odours can be early signs of impurities. However, many contaminants only show up under proper testing. That is why choosing the right drinking water system matters.

All of our systems use replacement filter cartridges. Consequently, they save you time, save you money and reduce your environmental impact compared with single-use plastic water bottles.

Visit the showroom and taste the difference

Do not bottle up your feelings about plastic water bottles. Change the habit instead. Drop into our Holt showroom to see, and taste, the difference a drinking water system can make. We will pour you a glass straight from the tap.

[1] Where does bottled water come from? https://geology.com/articles/bottled-water.shtml