By Virak Kchao
December 15, 2008

Arguably, one of the major contributing factors to solid waste is bottled water. During the 2008 Fall Summit, The Municipal Waste Management Association (MWMA) brought together a panel exploring both sides of the issue. Mark Hays from Corporate Accountability International and Judith Throman of the American Beverage Association were able to discuss the issues and challenges of bottled water.

One of Corporate Accountability International's main issues is the world water crisis, in which over 1 billion people lack clean water. By 2025, it is projected that over two-thirds of the world's population will lack access to clean drinking water. While most countries lack access to clean water due to poor infrastructure, U.S residents often still pay for bottled water when clean tap water is readily available.

The bottled water market has tripled in the past 10 years. About 75 percent of people drink bottled water regularly and a large part of this is due to the cheap manufacturing of plastics. Corporate Accountability International states that bottled water marketing is exceptional when it comes to its heavy investment and promotion. A common misconception is believed that drinking bottled water is better than tap. This misconception is claimed due to the clever advertising of bottled water companies.

Plastic bottles have a significant life cycle that has a huge impact on the environment. It takes over 17 million barrels of oil a year to manufacture plastic bottles. Less than 20 percent of bottles are recycled leaving over four billion pounds of bottles in landfills. Trends of water cost are showing that it is now more expensive than gasoline. More than 60 cities have reduced spending on bottled water and invested in fountains and filtration products. The best way to reduce bottled water waste is to simply reuse bottles.

The American Beverage Association thinks otherwise in regards to bottled water and tap water. Arguing that bottled is higher quality of water and is a much different product than tap water. Marketing schemes are not needed to sway consumers since bottled water intake is so high. Bottled Water is produced responsibly and packaged responsibly. The American Beverage Association states that an estimated 2.4 out of 10,000 bottles are used for water. Over 57 percent of bottled water used is made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles which are highly reusable products. They have also put out a best practices guide on recycling streams.

The American Beverage Association has supported the National Recycling Coalition initiation as outreach efforts. Marketing campaigns to consumers have also put in place to advocate recycling bottles. They are also encouraging members of the association to make their own initiatives and partnerships to promote recycling efforts. Systems are updated to make curbside collection more frequent and provide larger collection containers. The ABA feels it is being targeted unfairly compared to other bottling and plastic users. Data backed decisions must be looked at heavily when looking at the full impact of choices.

The bottled water issue will continue to grow as water resources are being depleted around the world. Global warming will also have a stake since it will affect the water resources. Transportation and bottling methods will also be another issue to be discussed as consumers persist to buy bottled water goods.