Should Bottled Water Be Banned?

This is a difficult question because there's no right or wrong answer.

Government officials are sparking a huge debate. Officials in New York City, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Salt Lake City have started campaigns to get people to stop drinking bottled water. They want to get people off the bottle craze and drinking tap water instead. A huge cry from the public of those in a favor and against the plan has created quite the story.

The bottle backlash stems from the fact that manufacturing plastic containers consumes energy and creates pollution. This is yet another move from the government to help us become good stewards to the environment. They want to halt the manufacturing of bottled water to stop the harm it is doing to our environment. Plenty of people think this thinking is in good nature, but not well thought through.

Some say the move misses the mark, especially since plastic bottles are among the most recycled packaging in the nation. In a formal statement, the International Bottled Water Association said, "It would make more sense for our government officials to focus on improving recycling rates for all consumer packaging."

Yet others point out that an outright ban will reduce pollution. This could save consumers money in the long haul. Experts say that the key is to change the way we think about and use water in our daily lives. This will include the way in which we consume the water. Studies have shown that 1 bottle of Fiji Natural Water emits 1.2 pounds of greenhouse gases during the manufacturing process. That is a lot of gas to emit from only one bottle. Imagine how much gas is emitted daily, when nearly a million bottles are produced on a weekly basis.

I, personally, think they should ban water bottles.

Hard to take water with you in your hands.

The bit about toxins is a loaded subject. What I have found is that you have to subject the plastic to some pretty extreme conditions to really leach out an appreciable amount of harmful chemicals. Such environments include extreme heat, acidity, and basicity. There have been many claims to the contrary, but have yet to be founded by unbiased sound science.

As for landfills- this is a problem to be certain. I don't think they should illegal, but the incentive to recycel should definitely be more profound. Here in Nevada many business and residents won't recycle because we actually have to pay for it. Well- what's the incentive? Go to a gym, and see what gets thrown away DAILY. It's sick.

I'd like to see some community action going to businesses to encourage recycling. Get youth groups involved- even offer to haul it for them. Some places pay by the pound for the raw materials- so it can be a good situation for both (of course this is typically aluminum and glass but plastic may as well).

If it's not plastic bottles it's something else. We need to take the initiative to be more responsible for our actions and the choices we make. Recycling is only a small step in that direction.

No.

Ye sure its made with some oil, however most things including plastic are. If you get rid of bottled water what next ?

plastic containers? plastic car parts? plastic all together ??

Firstly ye if you get rid of selling bottld water. Then what about products like Evian and Highlands water how are there waters gong to be purchased in shops. See just by banning bottles for water many problems for alot of people will occur and the goverment do not like problems. Therefore i believe No.

If your worrying so much about "plastic bottles using oil" Then why dont you think about something more producive that can actually decrease the use of oill much more than banning Bottled water, for example congestion charges so less people will use there cars and use buses therefore less carbon dioxide and therefore not as much contribution to global warming.

Im not saying Congestion is right however it could solve alot of Enviromental problems we are now facing.

I don't think banning bottled water is the answer, because it's not the water you want to ban but the bottle. Should we also ban every other bottled liquid, including laundry detergent, liquid soap, and other products that come in plastic bottles? The obvious answer is no, we won't ban those products.

But the use of petrolium products to make the bottles is a big concern. I think every municipality should have recycling (mine doesn't but I'm lobbying for it), and we need to look at alternatives.

I've heard of some company I think in Idaho that is making plastic bottles out of corn byproducts. I'd love for that technology to catch on. The bottle is 100% bio-degradable!

It certainly is true that we need to change our consumption patterns!

While I am all for saving the environment, I am NOT entirely comfortable drinking my tap water.

I feel there is less threat from the toxins in water bottles then that of the nuclear-waste ridden aquifers underneath my Valley. I am close enough to nuclear testing for there to be Yucca Mountain offices all over my town.

Move next to a nuclear power-plant and let's see how much you want bottles banned then.

YES YES YES AND YES!!! It is ridiculous to buy/pay for bottled water for all the reasons that you stated. It is a whole lot cheaper and better for the environment to buy a brita pitcher and recycle the filters...which you can do. I personally do not like my tap water because it has at times actually made us all sick. My neighbor had our tap water tested and it's just not good. Since I started using the brita all is well. Back before bottled water our water in general was not so polluted and filled with chemicals.

In my opinion, yes. Bottled water is horrible. I hate that bottles ingredients include oil. Plastic is probably one reason why we have high gas prices. Also, we don't need the toxins we already have enough with C02 emissions. I believe us Americans need to come up with ideas that are environmental friendly in order to save the world.

Then what would the People who work outside drink besides gatoraid. My step dad works outside cutting yards and he has to have water bottles with him. Yeah they can be bad, but People who don't work near water fountains supported to drink with?