Efforts to eliminate or reduce access to bottled water in our national parks will force consumers to choose less healthy drink options that have more packaging, more additives and greater environmental impacts than bottled water.
In fact, research shows that if bottled water isn’t available, 63% of people will choose soda or another sugared drink – not tap water. We expect the same consumer response if access to bottled water is restricted in our national parks. And such a response will therefore not likely reduce the presence of plastic bottles within the recycling streams of our national parks.
The healthy consumer choice
Consumers choose bottled water for several reasons, including its refreshing taste, reliable quality, zero calories and additives, and convenience. In fact, since 1998, approximately 73% of the growth in bottled water consumption has come from people switching from carbonated soft drinks, juices, and milk to bottled water.
Banning or restricting access to bottled water in the marketplace, including within national parks, directly impacts the right of people to choose the healthiest beverage on the shelf. And for many, bottled water is a critical alternative to other packaged beverages, which are often less healthy. Bottled water must therefore be available wherever packaged beverages are sold.
All bottled water containers are 100% recyclable. According to the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), the national recycling rate for single-serve PET plastic bottled water containers is now at 38.6%; a figure that has more than doubled in the last seven years.
Many bottled water companies are already using recycled plastic in their bottles and some are producing 100% recycled PET water bottles. And, according to NAPCOR, PET plastic bottled water containers are the most frequently recycled PET beverage container in curbside recycling programmes.
Source: IBWA
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