How bad is pollution from plastic bottles? Pretty bad.
In the United States alone, 1000 plastic bottles are opened every second. Only one in six of those bottles is recycled. 60 million plastic bottles a day are thrown away by Americans, with most of them ending up in landfills. That's close to two billion bottles thrown away per month. Once the bottles are in the landfills, they can take up to 1000 years to degrade. That means that every plastic bottle produced in the history of man is laying somewhere on the earth, slowly degrading into smaller pieces.
Many times, those smaller pieces end up being swallowed by birds. The plastic ends up killing them because it's too big to pass through their system and doesn't degrade. Eventually, the birds will eat enough plastic to either get internal injuries or starve to death.
Massive plastic dumps can be found in the world's oceans and waterways near underdeveloped countries that do not have waste control and recycling systems as good as the ones in the United States and other developed countries. Once the plastic is dumped into the water, it simply floats on top. The shapes and colors attract water life, which swallows the plastic and ends up with the same fate as the birds. As the plastic sits in the sun, it also begins to break down, releasing chemicals into the water.
This issue is only expected to get worse as bottled water consumption rises in the United States and elsewhere. Americans already consume more bottled water as a nation than they do milk or beer. And billions of plastic soft drink bottles are also adding to the pollution problem worldwide.
Overseas, people in China and other nations are starting to consume more bottled water as their economy improves and they can afford this necessary human resource. Distrust of water quality in developing nations has led to an unquenchable thirst for bottled water.
If you are a regular consumer of bottled water and want to cut back to save money and the environment, consider an AlwaysFresh water filtration system from the Geiler Company. Always Fresh filters attach right to your water source for reliable and instant clean water every time with no bottles required. Call the Geiler Company (513) 574-0025 and we can help you find the right AlwaysFresh system for your home.