Filtered water vs bottled water, what are the differences ?
This is a question I get asked a lot by clients. When you compare bottled water to filtered water you are comparing a range of things cost, convenience, quality and the environment just to name a few.
Cost is where most people start and it is quite common for people who have been buying bottled water to switch over to a water filter system. People buying bottled water are spending from $5.00 to $10.00 per week, so over 12 months this is actually costing from $250 to $500 a year. If you compare this to a water filter system, the initial outlay could be from $200 to $500, however the ongoing annual cost ranges from $95.00 to $200, depending on the quality of filter cartridge used, it is easy to see the ongoing cost benefit in investing in a water filter system.
Then you move onto the environment savings, which are of course the empty plastic bottles. This has a huge impact on the environment as the bottles go straight into landfill, a lot end up in our oceans and some get recycled depending which rubbish bin they are put in. Currently in Australia only a third of plastic bottles are recycled. The government should make the bottled water and soft drink companies plastic bottles Biodegradable as a standard, but that would add to the cost of a very cheap drink. If you compare that to a water filter system there is only either 2 or 4 cartridges to dispose of per year (based on standard cartridge used in an average home), which will go into landfill.
The best alternative to plastic is glass and stainless steel. Glass bottles are great to use at home or work easy to refill and keep clean. When you are out and about stainless steel bottles or flasks are ideal, practically unlimited uses, similar to glass to care for but there are different grades of quality like some products today so do some research before you buy your stainless steel bottle.
So why do we use so much bottled water? When you look at the facts it so easy to see that bottled water doesn’t do anything good for our planet. It is easy to buy & dispose of. Convenience over practicality is now becoming the norm in society, with the short-term view being easy to take than invest in the future.
Getting back to the question I think that even if you didn’t know that water filter systems existed before you read this article, you would think that a water filter system is the better way to go. A filter is a long-term prospect that will deliver quality drinking water to you with minimal maintenance. If you choose bottled water, it is high in maintenance, cheap at the start but expensive over time, heavy to move around and not great for our environment. I always thought the choice is easy, but after doing the comparison using a water filter is a no-brainer. Win-win all round.