Bottle water or tap water, Does it make a difference?
By sandymay48
@sandymay48 (2030)
Canada
April 17, 2009 4:32pm CST
FOr years, people lived drinking water from their wells or from the tap. Then with the scare of some water sources being contaminated, and people dieing, bottled water became really popular and there was a push for everyone to "buy" water, a natural resource.
Now I have heard that our government is going to try to discourage buying bottled water because of all the plastic bottles causing waste. It will certainly hurt the people that jumped onto the water business when it became popular.
What do you think? Are you happy to drink your own water or do you prefer to buy bottled? I drink my tap water but I do know some areas where the water even in town water smells like sulphur although its safe to drink. In that case, I would want to be able to buy it to drink.
3 people like this
17 responses
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
20 Apr 09
Tap water is completely safe... unless you live in a third world country. I drink water from the tap, but occasionally drink from bottled water. The bottles may be recyclable, but they can only be recycled so many times and after that they end up in land-fills. Or worse out in the middle of the ocean floating together. Just drink the tap. You'll get used to the taste, and if your country is rich enough to have a good internet connection readily available... then it's got pure water running in from the tap.
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
1 May 09
True... but bottled water isn't always safe either. There's a 99.999% chance the water coming out of the tap is safe. I really wish people would quit being paranoid about it, and stop claiming that tap water always makes them sick.
@Corgiiscute (315)
• United States
18 Apr 09
I only drink bottled water, because I hate the taste of tap water. I only drink one brand of bottled water... I only like the taste of one brand :P I've tried drinking tap water, but I hated it. I couldn't drink much, so it was better to start drinking bottled water again. I wish I could get the water I like without having to use all of those bottles... we recycle them, but I still think about the waste it will eventually create. I've thought about getting a water filter, but I'm scared the water won't taste good to me. I don't really care much about what's in the water (as long as it's not really toxic), as long as it tastes/looks/smells okay to me.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
18 Apr 09
I am the opposite. I drink tap water and shortly we are moving so I will be drinking well water. I dont care for bottled water, I find it has a funny taste a lot of the time. I think I have only had one brand that didnt have the taste in it. I dont know if its a plastic taste, or lack of all the chemicals in the city water..
1 person likes this
@Corgiiscute (315)
• United States
18 Apr 09
lol Yeah, most bottled water brands have a plastic taste to it. That's why I only like one brand. Aquafina tastes the best to me. I think it usually depends on the thickness of the bottle, because I've found that thinner bottles tend to taste more like plastic. This also happens when bottles have been left in the heat... the plastic probably melts into the water :\ Sometimes when it's left in the heat, the water seems thicker, too... it makes me feel like I'm drinking something that's not meant to be. I'm very picky with water too, so it's probably that too :D I can name brands of water and tell you what's wrong with each one, to me :P Some taste salty, some are thick, some taste exactly like tap water, some leave my throat drier than before I drank it... one brand (a couple of times) even tasted, smelled, and burned my mouth, throat, and stomach like gasoline :O And my mom and sister agreed with me, so it wasn't my imagination or anything :P I don't know what in the world happened when they bottled that one :P I never buy that brand anymore.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
29 Apr 09
i recently heard that a company was charged with filling their bottles and selling them as spring water, while it was really tap water. who can tell what is in those bottles of water? i dont like to buy bottled water because they always add salt to it! (here in canada, they [by law] have to have the ingredients listed on the label and salt is always one of them.)
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
1 May 09
yup, I live in Canada as well and I dont like our bottled water, I think it has a funny taste and its probably the salt which I dont need. I dont see how anyone likes it really. I much prefer my own water, at least I know what Im getting, most of the time.
@sanuanu (11235)
• India
18 Apr 09
Hi Sanyorita,
Bottle water is not my cup of tea, I only prefer own water which comes from a tap. I have seen people collecting those plastic bottles from roads and use tap water to fill. then they sell the same water. So, i am very scared of those, I use to use them only in emergency when I need water in a place where tap water isn't available while I am on journey!
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
18 Apr 09
Hi sanadoodoo...Yuck! That is gross!..There could be doodoo in the water.
I have never heard of that one before, collecting bottles off the road and filling it with tap water and selling it. Do people actually buy the water with no seal on the bottle? I sure wouldnt...I will never buy bottled water again!!
and its all your fault!!
I have never heard of that one before, collecting bottles off the road and filling it with tap water and selling it. Do people actually buy the water with no seal on the bottle? I sure wouldnt...I will never buy bottled water again!! and its all your fault!!1 person likes this
@sanuanu (11235)
• India
19 Apr 09
Gosh!
Is telling a truth to you a fault? Then I would commit that fault more than thousand times. God please don't forgive me for those faults.
No, the road side bottle water seller don't use a seal and to my surprise people buy those too as they have no choice. This I have seen on only a Raliway stations.
No, the road side bottle water seller don't use a seal and to my surprise people buy those too as they have no choice. This I have seen on only a Raliway stations.
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
20 Apr 09
We are fortunate to have very clean tap water where we live and I have never had a problem with it. I have a big jug with a spigot that I fill up every so often and it just lives in the fridge - MUCH cheaper and 'greener' than a water cooler! I actually prefer our tap water to bottled, I find some bottled water has a minerally/chemically taste to it. I have friends who refuse to drink tap water saying it has a weird taste but oddly enough they all come from farms where they couldn't even drink the tap water.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
1 May 09
I keep a jug of water in the fridge too. I find that bottled water tastes funny too. It may be the sodium thats added or it just tastes like plastic..lol
@krajibg (11923)
• Guwahati, India
18 Apr 09
Hi Sands, This is a serious thing indeed. Your Government is not to blame for the step they are going to take and apply as well. What is the condition of the bottled water there in your place I have nil information but here the bottled water is worse like some cold drinks. Here people buy bottled water only when it becomes inevitable or else the natural source is most trusted, however, I am not talking of the tap water. There are instances that people have discovered alien object in the bottled water.
Now the pollution thing that plastic bottle could cause is not less important but is it is disposed in specific places after they are used there should not so much fuss over this.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
18 Apr 09
I drink tap water in my area, but if I am in any other town, I drink bottled water. I don't know what the difference is, but it really messes with my stomache if I don't.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
18 Apr 09
I drink tap water too. But a few weeks ago, we were away at a motel and I went to get some water to take meds with. It was so gross I couldnt get it past my nose. It stunk of sulphur and although you cant taste it, it sure stinks. I wouldnt even get a shower cause it smelled so bad.
@chance2691 (566)
• Philippines
18 Apr 09
Here in where I live, bottled water is a teeny tiny bit pricier than water from the tap, so we tend to install a purifier to the faucet to make the tap water clean.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
18 Apr 09
I have always wondered how well all the different purifiers work. Do they take out all the impurities or just certain ones. I just drink tap water here anyways as I dont like bottled water
@daneg33 (1128)
• Canada
17 Apr 09
I think bottled water is a waste - and those bottles are very durable - not easily broken down in landfills - also, they use a lot of petroleum to manufacture plastic. I think tap water is fine as long as you use some sort of filtration system - like a Brita. I have a well and my water is as fresh and crisp as a mountain stream, so I can drink it right from the tap. I hate city tap water, it is disgusting.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
17 Apr 09
Hi daneg33...I agree that bottled water is a waste. I too have a well and drink from it. There is a town near us though where the water smells terribly of sulphur but its safe to drink. YOu cant taste anything but its hard to get past the smell. If I lived there, I would buy bottled water but probably in big jugs for a cooler and not individual small bottles. Either that, or I would move!
@Jennlk84 (4206)
• United States
18 Apr 09
I'm still drinking that water from the tap and it's never made me sick. lol I think bottled water is a big rip off. The only time I buy it is when I'm out and about for the day and need a drink of water. Otherwise, I carry my Nalgene water bottle to work with me each day and at home my fiancee and I keep a pitcher of water in our refrigerator. I don't know , maybe I'll move somewhere, some day where the water tastes funny or that I don't like it so much from the tap. If that day ever comes I see us buying a brita pitcher with filters, not bottled water.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
18 Apr 09
Hi Jenn..we drink tap water as well. I find the bottled water has a funny taste to it. Maybe its the plastic that its in. We also keep a pitcher of water in the refridgerator too. I love nice cold water.
Recently we were on a trip staying at a motel and i went to get a glass of water. The smell was so bad, that I couldnt get it past my nose. It stunk of sulphur. Although the water itself doesnt taste bad and its not harmful, the smell is enough to turn anyone off. Im glad I dont live in that town.
1 person likes this
@agv0419 (3022)
• Philippines
26 Apr 09
We drink tap water and we don't feel anything wrong to our body. Our distrinct ensure the cleanliness of our water and they do water test regularly to ensure the safety of the water for consumption. Bottled water is so expensive now a days for the people who can't drink tap water it is convenient for them to buy rather than to boil it.
@cbhomework (545)
• Malta
18 Apr 09
I do believe that tap water in some areas can be contaminated and it should be purified before one actually drinks it. Bottled water may be a waste, but some water that comes from mountain sources is difficult to get directly to a tap.
I do buy bottled water but I am careful from where to buy. If I am out and really need to buy a bottle on the go, I don't check the shop's behavior, but if I need to buy bottled water from home, I make sure that I know what are practices of the supermarket. Bottled water which has been left in the sun is just as bad as contaminated water. True, to be 100% sure, I would also need to check what the supplier does with his bottles, but that is something which is too difficult to check.
@zhangyong (39)
• China
18 Apr 09
i drink mya tap water but i do know some areas where the water even in town water smell like sulphur .
@B3lla86 (101)
• United States
18 Apr 09
The whole point why the water bottles are so popular right now is because you can take them on the go. Brita has come up with a campaign that gives you two reusable water bottles with each filter you buy. In turn that cuts down on all the wasted plastic bottle in landfills. On a normal basis, I use a filter and just fill up my own bottles. Most of the restaurants that you would buy water from also use a filter when they serve glasses of water. I don't know about the sulfur smelling water though. I think I would definitely be complaining for something. Either that or you're right, you could buy the gallon jugs of water and cut down on the plastic that way. Anyway, happy mylotting!
@ahilanman (51)
• Canada
18 Apr 09
ya bottle water is relly wast if think we have good as well as bad because bottle water is good for health and bad for earth if we use well water it is not good for helth but good for earth so dession is in our hand we do good or bad ?
@flowerday (322)
• Singapore
18 Apr 09
i heard that those bottled water contains certain minerals that tap water doesnt contain..but actually that is what that is claimed by the manufacturers of those bottled water..there have been some research done locally and the conclusion is that the tap water actually contains as much minerals or even more than those bottled water..
i feel that there is no point in drinking bottled water if tap water is available..
