Isn’t It Time to Go Bottleless?
We all know that good hydration is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But getting enough fresh drinking water is not always as simple as it sounds.
Tap water contains chlorine, chloramines, and other unhealthy disinfection chemicals. On its way to your tap, water picks up dirt, rust, and debris; along with other dissolved contaminants, including lead. Bottled water seems like a good alternative, but it comes at a high price to consumers and our environment.
According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), the average wholesale cost of bottled water is approximately $1.30 per gallon. Retail costs, depending on the region and store you purchase from, range from $1.75 to $2 per gallon on average. On the other hand, tap water is $1.50 to $2 per 1,000 gallons on average in the US.
You already know how expensive bottled water can be. Now let’s look at the environmental impact.
The Real Cost of Bottled Water
Millions of barrels of oil are consumed every year in the manufacture of plastic water bottles. Most of these bottles end up clogging our landfills. Transportation and delivery of bottled water requires a pipeline of trucks that waste fuel and pump tons of carbon emissions into our atmosphere. Plastic bottles may even leach toxic byproducts into your water.
Many employers try to provide healthy drinking water for their employees with a 5-gallon water delivery service. But this icon of the workplace can deliver more problems than solutions. The bottled water cooler is an open reservoir of unprotected water that is easily contaminated. This provides the perfect breeding ground for algae, bacteria, and viruses.
At over 40 pounds each, those big 5 gallon bottles are hard to lift — especially without spilling or hurting yourself. It’s no surprise that the empty bottle is always left for someone else to change. And think of all the valuable space wasted on bulky bottle storage, along with the added labor cost of moving and changing out the bottles. By the time you add up the high monthly cost, labor, storage, contamination, and risk of injury, bottled water is one workplace hazard we can all do without.
Bottled Water vs. Tap Water
The Presidents Panel for Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk recommends that Americans filter their tap water to reduce exposure to known or suspected carcinogens and toxic chemicals. The report states, “…it is preferable to use filtered tap water instead of commercially bottled water.” “Storing or carrying water in stainless steel or glass containers will reduce exposure to chemicals that may leach into water from plastics.”
Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and tap water by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has stricter restrictions and inspection regimens, while the FDA has a less stringent disclosure of consumer information. The FDA does not require disclosure of bottled water sources, treatment processes, and any contaminant reports. If your tap water source is public, however, the EPA is required to send an annual water quality report to its residents disclosing this information.
Bottleless Water Coolers
Isn’t it time to go bottleless? Every day, millions of people drink freshly filtered water from a bottleless water dispenser. As a result, mountains of plastic bottles and millions of tons of carbon emissions have been kept out of our environment through the use of bottleless water coolers and dispensers. Not to mention the health benefits of drinking freshly filtered water.
The best bottleless water dispensers are commercial grade and built to last. They come in a variety of styles, with filtration options tailored to meet your specific needs. To prevent contamination, the freshly filtered water is stored in a sealed stainless steel holding tank. Covered dispense levers and recessed nozzles provide an additional level of protection. Look for ENERGY STAR qualified water coolers to further enhance your savings and environmental impact.
Point-of-use water coolers are not only bottleless — they’re bottomless. You’ll never run out of water again. They are ideally suited for offices, lobbies, break rooms, production areas, workout rooms, conference rooms — virtually anywhere that you need fresh, delicious drinking water. Installation is quick and simple, with a quarter-inch food grade tubing connected to your existing water supply. Bottleless water dispensers can even feed filtered water to other beverage systems like coffee machines, and ice makers. Think of how much better all of your beverages will taste when they’re made with great tasting water.
Bottleless water dispenser rentals are the environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to enjoy freshly filtered water, just the way you need it. Join the bottleless drinking water revolution today.
