Now You Can Save Money and the Environment, too!

No matter how diligent you are about recycling, there are people out there who aren’t as diligent. When you consider the number of plastic water bottles that are thrown away and carried to landfills day after day (to survive like cockroaches survived the Ice Age, never to die), you might want to get your water out of something other than the long-living plastic bottle.

Reportedly, American landfills receive about 38 billion water bottles each year! Not only that, but the production of one billion bottles requires over 24 million gallons of oil (no wonder we’re in an energy crisis). I know sometimes people think “what can I, one person, do to make a difference?” and it seems as if you can’t make an impact on such staggering numbers, but just like pennies, every little bit of effort adds up.

Here’s an example of how you can save money and the environment, too:

1. Cost of 24-count 1/2 liter bottles at Costco: $6.97

If you drink water like you should for the health benefits, this case can last you about six days, maybe less if you’re very active and take in more than the suggested eight cups per day.

Cost per month - $34.85

Total cost per year - $418.20   

2. Consider a reusable bottle like Brita’s FilterForGood.

You can pick up one of these bottles for around $11.00 and it’ll last indefinitely. For people who don’t like to drink tap water, you can buy filtration systems, either in pitcher form or faucet mount form. This will cost around $26.00-$40.00. Filters need to be replaced about every two to four months at a cost of $9.00-$25.00 per replacement.

Let’s add this up over the course of a year:

Cost of reusable bottle - $11.00

Filtration system - $26.00-$40.00

Replacement filters - $54.00-$75.00

Total cost per year: $91.00-$126.00    

As you can see, you can save nearly $300 or more over the course of a year by ditching those individual disposable bottles and opting for reusable. Yes, there will be additional water on your utility bill for the amount you use to fill your bottle daily, but chances are good that it’s less than $300 per year.

Save money: check

Save the environment: check

Stay healthy: check

Put the money you save into an interest-bearing savings account and get even more out of your environmentalism. I think that’s reason enough to look into reusable bottles, don’t you?