Bottled water industry leaves light footprint
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Updated: July 17, 2009 10:02 AM
Re: “A damning portrait of plastic waste,” The Leader, July 15.
I read with interest the article written by Jeff Nagel about bottled water. Unfortunately, the piece repeats many of the inaccurate findings of an unsophisticated study published months ago by Toxic Free Canada, an anti-bottled water activist organization.
According to Health Canada, “No matter what source it comes from, all bottled water sold in Canada is inspected and treated during the manufacturing process to ensure that it meets Canada’s requirements for safety and quality.” The study’s suggestion that there are chemicals leaching into bottled water is false.
Further, student Vanessa Pollock’s claim that plastic bottles from Metro Vancouver likely end up in the Pacific Ocean is unlikely, given the municipality’s current waste management practices.
In closing, the bottled water industry has the lightest environmental footprint of any bottled beverage, whether measured by water volume, plastics/oil usage or overall greenhouse gas emissions.
To put this matter in perspective, as a recent City of Vancouver staff report did, “The environmental costs of bottled water include the effects of bulk water removal, the life cycle of the bottles and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation of the beverage. With the exception of bulk water removal, these costs are associated with any packaged beverage. The availability of bottled water in civic facilities is limited and represents only a tiny fraction of the market. It is unlikely that its elimination will have a significant impact in terms of reducing solid waste and greenhouse gases.”
John Challinor II , Guelph, Ontario
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