The Water Bottle Ban: Continued
By Jason Buckland, Sympatico / MSN Finance
Thought it might be a good idea this morning to continue the debate on the ever-growing water bottle ban after we received a ton of great feedback on yesterday’s post. Thanks to everyone who wrote in.
A lot of people wondered why the harassment was against only bottled water, when presumably that would leave plastic bottles of Coke, Pepsi and Gatorade as the unhealthy alternative.
That initially was the case, but it’s not likely to stay that way.
When Niagara Falls, the latest municipality to ban the plastic water bottle from city-owned facilities, voted on the issue this week, it moved the initiative along beyond what we’ve seen any other Canadian region do yet.
“City councillors took it a step further Monday night, scrapping the sale of all beverages in plastic bottles,” the article reads. “Including soda pop, juice and energy drinks like Gatorade.”
This was a pretty big deal that shocked all the parties involved, including the proponents of the bottle ban who never thought it would get that far so quick.
So while the all-bottle-ban trend is likely to continue (it’s now looking more and more like the ban is against plastic bottles, not a crusade against bottled water like has been suggested), there’s no word yet on whether plastic bottles of products like dish detergent, shampoo or Windex will be outlawed or not.
A lot of readers speculated about the safety of municipal tap water, which would be a near-impossible concern to address in this forum. Everyone remembers the Walkerton tragedy of 2000, but I thought this report ABC’s “20/20” did a few years back in the U.S. was worth mentioning:
“’20/20’ took five bottles of national brands of bottled water and a sample of tap water from a drinking fountain in the middle of New York City and sent them to microbiologist Aaron Margolin of the University of New Hampshire to test for bacteria that can make you sick, like e. coli.
‘There was actually no difference between the New York City tap water and the bottled waters that we evaluated,’ he said.
Many scientists have run tests like that and have consistently found that tap water is as good for you as bottled waters that cost 500 times more.”
Don’t think we’re suggesting this speaks for every city or town’s water supply across the country, because we’re not. Every place is going to be different, especially the safety and treatment of your local water. It is an intriguing report, though, at the very least.
Also, some readers wondered if there would be access to more water fountains at these city-owned facilities where plastic bottles were being removed. Turns out, the Niagara Falls recommendation called for more fountains to be installed – at the taxpayer tag of $5,000 each, no less – where people can refill their own reusable bottles for free.
Finally, we haven’t even broached the subject of personal taste, which is sure to be a main catalyst in all the rage against the bottle ban. Being urged to drink your tap water is one thing for people who don’t mind its taste, it’s an entirely different matter for those who long for a cold, crisp Dasani. Of course, where does this leave our rural friends or those in homes with sulphur water to drink, which is the rough equivalent of squeezing the grease from an Egg McMuffin into a glass and swishing it around in your mouth? What are they to do?
The discussion continues …
Posted by: P J T | Feb 27, 2022 8:34:24 AM
What a load of crap! I am a fan of a clean environment just as much as any other regular person but to ban plastic water bottles is just stupid. first it was smoking (I am an ex smoker, but feel for the common smoker) a legal activity, is pretty much confined to your own home or face a fine, unless your kidsd are home and then your home can be invaded and you could still face another charge for doing a legal activity. Sorry I digress... next came the ban on plastic shopping bags, forcing people to purchase reusable bags (of which I have at least 20 of). Now it's water bottles. 3 cheers for democracy (Da-mocker-cy). As with all things the key is Education and information, if people would just stop and survey the world that has been defiled and polluted by all (yes,I said all). and take ten seconds to pick up a peice of trash, including plastic water bottles (that are worth a nicklel or a dime each, depending on where you live). Earth could breathe easier if this was done.
Posted by: plastic not fantastic | Feb 27, 2022 9:56:03 AM
the reality is.......few people will take the milli-seconds needed to throw their trash in the garbage.
even though we all know we should.
so maybe the production of litter has to be curtailled.
that way, the 'oblivious, ignorant, and idiotic' people don't even get their hands on potential garbage. if that's what it takes to stop something so drastically stupid, then....ban the plastic bottles.
i, for one, stopped buying plastic water bottles and the difference in my recycling bin is crazy! i also like giving the finger to the oil companies ;) by chopping another petroleum product out of my life.
go after coffee cups too. there's millions of those things floating around the streets. floating right by garbage cans, i might add. brainless twerps drop them out of their car windows!?!
Posted by: sally | Feb 27, 2022 10:17:25 AM
Ooooo...yes. The big evil oil companies! Give your head a shake. Oil is a natural resource which was meant to be used. You environ-mental's need to get a grip. Don't you realize what the so-called "green" movement is all about? It is about the government legislating all of your freedoms and choices away from you. Plastic came from the earth and will return to the earth. This ban on water bottles is as screwy as a CFL lightbulb, which is another joke! Mercury-laden, ugly blue light CFL's. Another "gift" to us from the greenie boobs.
Posted by: jim | Feb 27, 2022 10:38:06 AM
Sure,,,,lets just ban everything instead of just recycling as much as we can. We are just heading for too much of this "banning" and "controlling" in our free society in the name of being GREEN.
Posted by: plastic not fantastic | Feb 27, 2022 3:27:24 PM
i should give my head a shake?
why?
so braindead people can continue to litter?
so i can save people like you a trip to the garbage can?
these bottles line the gutters of our streets.
urine is natural. can i come and use your front step everyday? that way we can keep the rules to a minimum.
there has beeen such a glut of plastic bottles that now it is hard to ignore. other than the litter aspect, how about the fact that recycling plants are struggling to keep up with the rise in use of these 'harmless' containers.
on another note, maybe we should all invest in humvees. just to prove everything is just fine on planet earth.
shheeeesh! you don't have to be green (i am not) to use your brains, your eyes. or read.
some of you out there are quite obviously smarter than the scientists who are currently being muzzled by our gov't?
and how does this negatively affect you? you got to carry your own bottle with you? and refill it? oooowwwwwww, that's hard. somehow your rights are being stepped on?
Posted by: dumbdee dumb | Feb 27, 2022 5:12:44 PM
lol
when did this so-called "GREEN CONSPIRACY" emerge?
people's justification for their own continued irresponsibility (read arrogant stupidity) knows absolutely no bounds.
remember when the same type of people argued that cars and factories didn't pollute?
remember when certain businesses were convinced smoking did not cause cancer?
remember when it was not a big deal to flush all of our untreated sewage into the environment?
there were even defenders of asbestos for insulation, junk food and lead pipes for drinking water.
all part of a long term 'green conspiracy'....i imagine
no one questions gov'ts sending our meat-bags into war, for the purpose of $$$$.
but look at a massive contribution to pollution, and that's when the brain-trust becomes skeptical!?!
just how in the ..... did we ever live prior to bottled water? it's like some of us actually think the plastic bottle is a right of life or a necessity. when did this happen?
and what's wrong with glass bottles, return/deposit scenarios? other than the fact that big business doesn't want to deal with it
Posted by: the gravy train leaves no stains | Feb 27, 2022 6:08:51 PM
love some of the "arguments" here.
1) umm, it's a natural resource....so we have to use it up. a natural resource is worth nothing, it's a just a waste....untill we use it up. it all gets buried back in the earth again anyway. (part of gawd's plan, apparently)
2) stop picking on the poor oil companies. they just don't deserve the bad reputation they have. poor poor poor oil companies. they're always aware of the consequences. and want nothing but the best for EVERYBODY.
3) it's a green conspiracy. the scientists are in on it. haven't figured out why yet, but you can't trust anybody who seems to be working for the good of everyone.
4)we'll be dead before we really see what we've done. so why stop? (this one is a fave of mine. there's just no denying the logic of this argument)
5) it's all about further gov't control (especially when it's a gov't that has flagrantly avoided environmental responsibility even amongst global condemnation) um ya.
these are the arguments being presented by people who laugh at the idea of a neo-con conspiracy. coincidence?
Posted by: life's so hard and unfair | Feb 27, 2022 6:37:36 PM
some people need to be forced to not pollute.
sad but true.
here's the proof......many complain because they can't get it together enouph to remember the material bags they bought for groceries last week, so they had to buy more. and THAT is THE bone to pick when it comes to banning plastic bags.
nevermind that GAZILLIONS of plastic bags have been taken out of the environmental cycle.
every month. imagine the difference this makes in a city of millions.
someone forced me to learn not to crap in my pants. i didn't then, and even now still don't see that lesson as being some form of unnecessary control, or limit to my freedom.
Posted by: rodney | Feb 28, 2022 8:59:37 PM
I wonder if it has ocerred to anyone that the oils and other nasty little toxins that are used to make these plastic bottles are leaching into the beverage of your choice and that is the reason for wanting them off the store shelves.
I`m pretty sure we all bitched after they took the good old glass pop bottle off the shelf in exchange for the new light weight "disposable" plastic bottle back in the 70`s.
If my memory serves me right the "glass" bottle was recycleable as well.
Of course nowadays some "MORON" will probably cut themselves after they break the glass bottle and try to sue the bottling company for thier own stupidity.
If they want to and trust me they will ban plastic beverage bottles, I could care less other than the fact that some way they will make the Tax Payers foot the bill.
Of course there is a bright side to the drama, the way our great leaders drag their feet this won`t happen for another 6to 10 years.
Posted by: titus groan | Feb 28, 2022 10:33:41 PM
naw, it's stuff like this that the swindlers in charge...oops....our great leaders move really fast on.
it's stuff like.....a war we should have no part in.....that's where their feet are nailed to the floor. (nails and hammers supplied by their fat cat buddies).
this is the perfect fodder for them to appear pro-active.
perfect fodder for the regular smuck to to get irate about. rather than dealing with stuff that should be dealt with.
Posted by: bruce allin | Mar 2, 2022 8:42:43 AM
if every politician would remember how we corrected the beer bottle crisis, you wouldn,t have to ban plastic bottles. Charge a .10 cent deposit on every one of them and see how many of them hit the landfill. I work in Recreation and plastic bottles make up 80% of all the garbage that gets thrown out. It would also create more jobs in recycling. How many beer bottles do you see lying around now?