Why Aren’t Plastic Bottles Going Away?

One million plastic water bottles are purchased every single minute across the globe. 

If that fact isn’t disturbing enough, consider this: plastic production has accelerated at such an enormous rate that 17.6 billion pounds of plastic waste is being added to the ocean every year, which, as Oceana points out, is the same as dumping a garbage truck full of plastic waste into the ocean every 60 seconds.

TIME magazine also tried to put that mind-boggling statistic into perspective — conducting an experiment that calculated the number of life-size skyscrapers you could build out of LEGO bricks if you removed a year’s worth of plastic waste from the ocean. Spoiler alert: 19 life-size Empire State buildings!

Plastic pollution is talked about much more than it was a decade ago. Eight states in the U.S. have completely banned the use of single-use plastic bags in retail stores. Yet, despite the substantial and alarming evidence against plastic, production hasn’t slowed down at all. In fact, the production of single-use plastic is continuing to increase in 2020 and the amount of plastic that is predicted to be produced in 2050 is 3.5 times the amount that was produced in 2015. 

Will single-use plastic ever be a thing of the past? We hope so.

Why are plastic water bottles still around?

We all know hydration is a necessity, but why are so many consumers and businesses continuing to feed into the plastic water bottle industry instead of choosing sustainable alternatives? Here are some of the reasons people give for buying single-use plastic water bottles:

Choosing Better for the Planet than Plastic

As the world emerges from coronavirus lockdowns and attempts to navigate a new normal post-pandemic, there’s an opportunity to reflect on how the environment healed when the economy shut down and people worked from home. It’s a chance to break bad habits that are harming our environment and implement small changes that will be better for our planet in the future.

We know that the best option is filling up reusable water bottles at a filling station. We also know that there will always be circumstances (like the ones mentioned above) where water will need to be readily available for grab and go. For these situations, Boxed Water is more sustainable, more renewable and a better alternative than single-use plastic bottles. (It’s better than canned water in aluminum, too!)

Boxed Water cartons are shipped to your door for free (perfect for those with that fast-paced lifestyle), can be refilled and reused (durable through most adventures), and truly sustainable. Our tree-based cap makes our carton 92% plant-based, which is the most renewable grab and go water option in the industry.
 
We want to give people a BETTER choice when it comes to water delivery and hydration on the go. Did you know that our carton is also reusable and 100% recyclable? Visit recyclecartons.com to learn more about box recycling in your area and how you can be a part of the carton recycling movement. 

Tackling aluminum and plastic pollution isn’t our only mission. Boxed Water is a 1% For the Planet organization and is helping preserve our planet by planting as many trees as possible. We’ve already planted one million trees in National Forests across the country and we’re on our way to planting one million more.  Join us in the movement! Let’s create a new normal and make single-use plastic bottles and aluminum cans a thing of the past. Help us build a #betterplanet.