The Implication of Bottled Water in our Environment

Figure 01, Bottled Water Wastes on Ground (rvgomeseria)

"The above-conceptualized image is one of the examples of what is our environment in today’s generation which are now becoming part of the problems in the ecosystem due to massive waste bottled water plastics being thrown in the landscape at large as a trash bin. This paper will tackle the cause and effects of the bottled water production into pollution, the related facts and its usage, and the repercussions that have been linked to human health issues as we always experiencing like asthma, reproductive issues, dizziness, and breast cancer. However, these are more significantly likely to die from blood, brain, and kidney cancer due to the effects and processes as toxins in and toxins out in the landscape ecosystem."

Insight

In today’s generation, wherever you walk either in urban or rural areas, you can find bottled water and even other liquid products which are being manufactured and equipped with artistic bottled water (and as for them, is to make it marketable). Somehow, bottled water or any other plastics productions can be found everywhere and this is because of the technology innovation in the modern world rather than using the usual norm. Having said that, bottled water can give everyone an advantage and disadvantage depending on the situation they are in, but generally, affecting the environment on the other hand.

However, most bottled plastics seem inconvenient because 80% of their production unrecycled, sad to say and in spite of that have been dumped and burned, which has a tremendous cause and effect in our environment that doesn’t help and inconvenience at all. In fact, and on the other side, these contribute unsustainable materials in the world’s economy, and in practical ways, the author does not see any implications as well as the relevance realizing the impact of the plastics into our life but threatening the ecological aspect by trashing it into our planet and becomes an environmental problems like Figure 01.

The Cause and Effects towards Production into Pollution

As a Professional Engineer (PE/PEng/PME), I like the process of how the plastics being manufactured in the manufacturing plant, which will give you an amazing conversion from the raw materials into products. However, as Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), this becomes conflict after all because it doesn’t help in sustaining a sustainable environment we are looking at. This is simply because of unethical attitude for those people who are using the bottled water just by throwing somewhere else without even thinking the implications to the environment they’re live in and as shown in Figure 01, which becomes global issues.

Moreover, in the author’s article published in ResearchGate and Academia platform, “Reflection on Electronics Actions can be Doable” (Gomeseria, RV; January 2020), the waste electronics gadgets materials are similar principle happening to bottled plastics that are designed for the dump, however, emphasizing the recycling process of extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal, which will helps not only for the environment but for the peoples from around the world are benefiting from it in the sense that this will creates jobs to individuals, helping the family basic needs and that contributes economic progress for the community, but consequently the Earth suffers silently from undisciplined and unethical human beings of whatever repercussions might be held in the process.

On the other hand as an example of what the author is referring to, a message from Nestle Manufacturing Company and the author quoted, “bottled water is the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world,” however, in the reality, they are trashing the environment to gain more profit on their business for self-interest and not for securing the environment but molesting it. With these repercussions held, the author doesn’t think they can help the environment because when we say “environmentally responsible,” you need to take care of the products whatever has been produced. But look around your place, and you can notice and see all Nestle bottled products which have been scattered anywhere and that caused waste pollution to the people’s environment and mother Earth.

Facts on the Bottles Water Production and Usage

The production and the composition will start from the Earth extraction of particular plastic components they need to produce in manufacturing bottled water and plastic materials. However, the production can’t prosper without the use of oil and gas as the primary source in the manufacturing plant to make water bottles, which already cause environmental pollution on Earth at the beginning of the process and this has been estimated to about 2.5 million tons of CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) being released in the atmosphere every year and that is equivalent to 17-Millions of oil barrels to produce in the same production year.

The fact is, in every manufacturing of plastic water bottles will take enough oil and energy to fuel millions of cars around the world too. The worst thing ever happening in the production, which is, in every energy spending in the production of the bottle, will cause it costly in the initial stage of the process.

Another thing that can’t be imagined and the ridiculous part as we are experiencing from it, occasionally, we use to drink the bottled water in just 2-minutes then after emptying it, we thrash it as simple as that. Unknowingly, the attitude we have contributes to another stage of problems at the end of the life cycle and as we always observed, many of us usually live off the disposal to our environment without even trying to put in the proper trash bin similar to the conceptualized image shown in Figure 01.

The author doesn’t know what to say about the behavior as it always happening and that becomes a habit by everyone. If Nestle is only taking care of it, then why they allow disposing of bottled plastic everywhere without even collecting it, as they are the producers who eventually know effective recycling.

Repercussion Using Bottled Water

Everybody knows that drinking water we drink is healthy scientifically. However, the manufactured disposable bottled water will contain chemicals from the plastic itself and that has been linked to human health issues as we always experiencing like asthma, reproductive issues, dizziness, and breast cancer.

Notwithstanding that based on the statistic provided as discussed earlier, 80% of the plastic production has been disposed through landfills, and the fact is the bottled water plastic is a non-biodegradable process and if these will live in the dumps, hence, that makes toxicity to our environment after all.

Alternatively, if ever they use it through incinerators process rather dumping it, this may cause an environmental problem as it releasing toxic that pollutes the air we breathe which will cause sickness to human concerned if the process will continue and an unhealthy environment with air pollution around them.

But some or in other parts of the world, they use it for the recycling process and the question comes to the author’s mind with millions of bottled water production around the world, how these are recycled be.

Moreover, “recycled” is the right term and a word that will give a positive impact on everyone and an acceptable process. Unknowingly, however, in reality, those bottled water has been slated to be downcycled in some parts of the world, perhaps, turning them into lower quality products for something else they can. But mostly, they are dumping them outside their backyard which will create environmental problems with the toxic pollutants. The problem is, manufactured demand strategies seem to be scaring us, seducing us, and misleading us in reality, which doesn’t help at all but a nuisance thought to lead to ignorance. However, these are the facts of all the innovations we have now in this world with bottled water plastic. And these are creating a global toxic emergency, and as defined, may cause health problems in many cases that significantly more likely to die from blood, brain, and kidney cancer accordingly, which merely a nuisance to everyone and effects of the process as toxins in, and toxins out.

Conclusion

In general, water bottled innovations help us as a person because of the appearance of integrity, assisting the family in for individual needs due to the production process that everyone can be employed, and lastly will contribute to the progress of the community economy. However, the implication matters because the environment has suffered from the costs of the water bottled production which can’t be denied. And this kind of process is because of the manufactured demand strategies which usually create greediness to economic progress and sabotage in the sense of destroying the environment unknowingly.

And as a conclusion, in order to prevent from using the bottled water plastic, the government has a political will and has a vision for a sustainable environment that helps everyone with a better life in the sense of having a comfortable family life. On the other hand, the government has to invest in public water infrastructure, preventing pollution in the production of bottled water plastic, by providing drinking fountains, and most of all is to boycott all bottled water plastic companies and discipline from us in not buying any of these products for them to realize they need for protection not only for our health but the environment we live in as well as in the prevention in the next generation with a sustainable environment.

Thus, this will help our environment, protecting our health and saving money as well as demand for clean, safe water for all is one of the affirmative action in sustaining a healthy environment. I may say in a word that with all the technological innovation that has been made especially using plastics nowadays, we need to love our environment and think for the future generations which create a sustainable environment. As an individual, we need to practice it honestly; discipline is an essential word for us to help our mother Earth for sustainable living and to be conservative all the time.

Recommendation

The author may say in a word that with all the technological innovation that has been made especially using plastics nowadays, and most of all, we need to love our environment and as a visionary for future generations which will create a sustainable environment in protecting our natural resources somehow.

In general, the implication matters because every production they made; the environmental landscape has suffered from the costs of the production itself. Therefore, the implications of bottled water productions can either way of giving advantages or disadvantages to everyone depending on how it will be using. But most of all, it is the government with a political will has the power to initiate the basic methodology by providing enough location to dispose of sustainably in protecting the ecosystem as well.

As an individual, we need to practice it honestly; perhaps, discipline is an essential word for us to help our mother Earth for sustainable living and basically, must be conservative all the time on whatever innovation might create or produce in the landscape market.

Write-Up Reference can be read from this link;

Gomeseria, RV; (January 2020); “The Implication of Bottled Water in our Environment;” Retrieved from; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338682626_The_Implication_of_Bottled_Water_in_our_Environment