Let’s Talk about Plastic Bottles

According to Reusit.com, one of the leading sources of reusable everything:

• An estimated 2,480,000 tons of plastic bottles and jars were disposed of in 2008. (EPA)

• Store-bought bottled water is a rip off. Tap water is often subject to more stringent regulation and testing than bottled water. It costs a fraction of the cost from the tap. It is cleaner, cheaper, and thus healthier. (Natural Resources Defense Council)

• As of 2006, and estimated 60 billion PET single-use beverage containers were bought. Approximately 45 billion of these were discarded after use. (Container Recycling Institute)

• Another estimation put bottled water spending at a collective $100 billion in the US for 2006. (OneWorld.net)

• Every square mile of the ocean has 46,000 pieces of floating plastic in it. (UN, 2006)

• Ten percent of the plastic produced every year worldwide winds up in the ocean. 70% of which finds its way to the ocean floor, where it will likely never degrade. (UN, 2006)

The above statistics come directly from their site. If you want to know more, sign up to receive their newsletter at: http://www.reuseit.com/learn-more/top-facts/plastic-bottle-facts. The right sidebar has the sign-up slot.

The fact is: plastic waste is literally swamping this planet, whether it’s plastic bags, my personal favorite, or all things disposable plastic. How hard is it for us to make a little extra effort to reuse and wash? Reusit.com has thermal coffee mugs and a variety of water bottles that are BPA-free, dishwasher and microwave safe. No excuses.