7 Reasons to Carry a Reusable Water Bottle

Why carry a reusable water bottle? 

Using a reusable bottle is a healthy, practical, economical, and rewarding habit. In this article, we created a list of our seven most important reasons to carry a reusable water bottle. 

7 Reasons to Carry A Reusable Water Bottle

1. Reduce waste from single-use plastic bottles

Single-use plastic water bottles are thrown away by the billion per year, just in the United States. That's 35 billion per year, to be exact. These numbers are staggering, and as its estimated that less than 10 percent of plastic thrown in bins in the last 40 years has actually been recycled, it's no wonder that plastic bottles are filling up landfills and our oceans. The creation of these plastic bottles involves a heavily polluting production process, and they biodegrade extremely slowly, taking hundreds of years to break down naturally in the environment. If you think about it, the entire life-cycle of these bottles is extremely damaging to the environment, from production to disposal. And for what, a bottle that is made just to be thrown away? It really doesn't make much sense at all.

By choosing a reusable bottle, we greatly reduce our carbon footprint and take a huge step toward reducing plastic waste. Just imagine how many single-use bottles a person could use in a year to drink the recommended eight cups of water per day! To get an idea, one filter for a water pitcher, which usually lasts about 2-3 months, can replace as many as 300 standard 16.9 oz. disposable bottles. With a reusable bottle and a good water filter, you can save hundreds of disposable bottles per year from going in the trash.

2. Reusable bottles are better for your health

Single-use plastic bottles are not only causing major harm to the planet, but they also can be bad for your health, due to the leaching of chemicals into the water stored inside of these bottles. Disposable plastic bottles are usually made from PET (polyterephthlate) plastic, which has been shown to leach antimony into water which increases upon storage and with temperature increases. Antimony trioxide from PET plastic water bottles is considered a major route of exposure, and is considered hazardous to human health.

3. You control what goes in your bottle

Besides, there are no guarantees as where the water really comes from in any "brand name" of single-use water bottles, despite advertising claims. 

In a report from Food & Water Watch, it was found that that 64 percent of bottled water comes from municipal tap water sources in the United States. This means that people are being duped into paying high prices for water that they could get from their own sink.

Bottled water is not safer than tap water in most circumstances, unless you live in an area with heavy pesticide runoff or housing that still uses lead pipes. Tap water is subject to more stringent regulations than bottled water in the US. 

With a reusable bottle, you can choose where your water comes from. We recommend using a quality water filter or refilling your bottles at a local filtered water dispensing machine. Or if you're really lucky, maybe you even have access to a water well on your property or a nearby freshwater spring!

Water is so important to our health, so it's best to understand what risks might be in the tap water in your community before buying a filter. You'll want to make sure that you are filtering for any specific hazards to your area. The good thing about tap water is that your city is required by law to tell you what possible contaminants are found in the water supply, which is not mandatory for bottled water companies. Unless you live in an extremely pristine environment, we do not recommend refilling your bottles with water directly from the tap. There are many types of water filters depending on your needs, from charcoal filtration stand-pitchers and sink-mountable filters to reverse osmosis filters that can purify the water for an entire house.

4. Save money on water and drinks while out

Another good point is that using a reusable water bottle is actually much less expensive than buying single-use bottles of water. Buying bottled water can get costly and fast, coming in at about $200 per year for the average American. One single reusable bottle costs about $30-$50 on average, which will last you for years of usage. In fact, the price of bottled water is largely paying for the plastic bottle itself. A gallon of bottled water costs about $9.50, nearly 2,000 times the price of tap water in most cities.

You can also save money on coffee and tea while out by carrying a reusable bottle. Most coffee shops offer a small discount for carrying your own reusable bottle, cup, or mug to fill. Besides, if you frequent local coffee shops, the baristas will definitely get to know you (and your usual order) better!

5. One bottle will last you for years of use

If you're anything like us, sustainability, minimalism, and zero-waste goals are important to you. Being that our personal possessions are less numerous, we can more clearly determine the things that are important to us, and take good care of them to make them last. A reusable bottle is more than just a bottle, it's your everyday companion. It develops personality and character the more that it is used, and it can be maintained for years. 

6. Choose the bottle that best fits your needs

This leads to the next reason why it's great to carry a reusable bottle - you can choose the best bottle for your needs. Instead of just thoughtlessly buying disposable water bottles and taking to-go paper coffee cups, take a minute to really think through what you need on a daily basis, and even about your personal preferences. For example, some people greatly enjoy the taste of beverages out of glass, not just limited to water but also coffee, juice, or smoothies. Others might prefer to keep a cup of coffee warm for hours in a stainless steel insulated mug, or to take cool water out hiking and exploring outdoors.

Having your ideal bottle by your side will make it more enjoyable to stay hydrated while drinking your favorite beverages throughout the day.

7. Keep track of how much you drink

In order to stay adequately hydrated, tracking your daily water intake can be important, especially if you're really active. A reusable bottle can help you keep track of how much water you drink, instead of just randomly drinking from a bunch of single-use bottles (and tossing them when they're finished).

Knowing the size of your bottle, you can track the number of times you refill your bottle throughout the day and know exactly the amount of water you have consumed!

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To conclude, these are our top seven reasons to use a reusable bottle! If you have any other ideas, questions, or comments, don't hesitate to let us know below!