Considering how damaging bottle water containers are to the environment, the carbon footprint they leave behind, and the cost they generate to clean or recycle; it is unbelievable that the sale of bottled water is still legal, especially in individual format. Now, some people may state that bottled water tastes better and is purer than tap water, but the latter has been filtered, treated and tested to ensure that it meets the health standards for human consumption. The same cannot be said for bottled water.
For areas where chlorine is used to treat tap water, consumers might want to install an under sink water filter to ensure that their tap water is clean and tastes better. Most systems use a three-stage process that provides customers with great tasting water at home, directly from the tap. Although it is possible to make water filters yourself, it involves time and materials that you might not have readily. Investing in a high-quality water dispenser or having a filtering system installed under the sink will save you as much money in time as making your own filter yourself from household materials. Furthermore, you will have the peace of mind that your water is pure, something you cannot ensure with a homemade device.
If you are more concerned with your pocket book than with the environment, consider the amount of money you would be saving by drinking water directly from the tap. For people drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water per day, savings are around $1400 per year. When you have a family of four, this adds up quickly. The money saved can easily turn into a yearly vacation.
The typical water filtration system, whether you build one yourself or buy a professional one is the same. It is also the same process that water treatment facilities use to treat city water that travel in your pipes. Water needs to go through different substances for the impurities to get trapped and be removed. Generally, water will go through gravel, sand, and coal. Each step takes away undesired particles, leaving the water purer. Ceramic cartridges also provide effective filtration and are less cumbersome than typical systems. To make sure bacteria or other pathogens are also eliminated, people may choose to boil the filtered water before consuming it. In homemade products, gravity helps the water travel through each step. In water treatment facilities, pumps are used instead to move the water from one basin to the next.
Regardless of the water filtration system you wish to install in your house, converting to tap water will represent significant savings for your family and the planet each year. Considering that most plastic bottles do not find their way to recycling facilities, it would be important for everyone to start doing their share by starting to drink tap water. If everyone would stop buying bottled water, companies would have no choice but to stop selling it. If governments cannot be persuaded to do the right thing, maybe the general public can start the environmentally friendly trend of drinking water from the tap, banishing plastic bottles forever.
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