To the Editor:
The Environmental Committee of the Berkshire Women’s Action Group is calling for a ban on the sale of bottled water in sizes 1 liter and smaller in Great Barrington claiming this action will help address a global plastic crisis. The Northeast Bottled Water Association would like to take this opportunity to address some of the information on this issue.
- The ban that is proposed is targeting just one food product (bottled water). There are thousands of others that use PET plastic in their containers. Bottle water containers are only 3.3 percentof the total drink containers in our waste system. Compare that to carbonated beverages–13.3 percent, glass — 66.7 percent, and aluminum cans 7.9 percent.
- Research has shown that removing bottled water as a choice may lead people to turn to less healthy, sugary drinks.
- Bottled water is strictly regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as a safe food product for those people that rely on bottled water due to medical issues; especially those with immune compromised systems.
- Single serve PET bottled water containers are 100 percent recyclable — even the caps. Bans on bottled water and other packaged beverages do nothing to teach people how to properly recycle all consumer packaging.
- PET is the most recycled plastic in the US and recycling PET bottles is easy, simple and efficient. New bottles from recycled bottles use 84 percent less energy than when using virgin materials. Used recycled PET bottles can be recycled multiple times and are used for other consumer products such as food containers, toys, clothing, car parts, carpeting and decking.
When you consider the vote to ban only water bottles, consider what you may be taking away from others: a safe healthy alternative to sugary drinks and other beverages and limiting what our children may reach for when they are thirsty.
Thank you for reading and giving our position your attention.
Tara White
Southfield, Mass.
The writer is executive director of The Northeast Bottled Water Association.
