My new mission is to collect as much of the leftover bottled water littering the beach as I possibly can and reuse to water my garden. Unfortunately, I rescue enough bottled water in a 1/5 mile stretch of beach to keep myself and two other neighbors yards green. I figure that it takes approximately 120 bottles picked up (glass plastic and assorted drinks) to make up for 2 gallons of water per day. Out of that 120 bottles, there is usually 2 un-drunk beers, leftover whisky and 1-2 gallon of gatorade un-drunk. 50% of the bottles are plastic water bottles
According to the bottled water industry it takes 1.39 liters of water to make 1 liter of water. If you add in the packaging it takes 3 liters of water just for the packaging of the bottled water. Included in the 120 bottles I pick up there is at least one liter of beer (takes 4 litters of water to make), 1 liter Hard Alcohol (34.55 liters of water for every liter) Add in cokes, orange juice and more.. it is a lot.
Here we are in a drought in California, with mandatory water rationing and we are throwing away water on the beach, at least 2 gallons per every .5 mile. Not only did we throw away water, we threw away 60 gallons (60 bottles x 3) of wasted water packaging… Per Every .5 mile of beach.
This is just the water from the Tide to Towel line. This does not include the 4 parks, the over 50 trash cans, a jetty. fire pits. If it did, I would estimate that number would increase 10x. That also does not include the 1000 households, who throw away water.
What I am saying, If I salvaged and picked every trashcan and all 4 parks in my little half mile of beach, I could rescue a minimum of 20 gallons of water per day.
Not using bottled water is one the easiest things you can possibly do to save our environment. I can see and as anti bottled water as I am, I use bottled water while traveling. I don’t use it in the United States, where our drinking water is drinkable. Not only that it is safer that bottled water, it is cheaper than bottled water and mostly comes from the exact same source as the water out of your tap.
Kick the bottled water and plastic habit. Be good to yourself and mother earth.
by Wheels For Wishes http://www.wheelsforwishes.org