Plastic or reusable bottles

Exploring the possibility that plastic bottles are better than their reusable alternative

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As quickly as reusable bottles have come into the spotlight, new information may turn the tides back even faster. Plastic water bottles simply have certain benefits reusable ones do not provide.

Plastic bottles are accessible, being an easy grab-and-go option for water. These bottles create a convenient alternative to soda and other sugary beverages. Having this greater accessibility to water helps prevent high-blood pressure and obesity because people are more likely to choose water if it's easily available to them.

"I play soccer so I have to use plastic water bottles because they are quick and easy. When I'm done with them, I crunch them up and recycle them. I use them on a daily basis because I can just grab them and they are quick to use," Taylor Harpley ('22) said.

Plastic bottles are also the healthier option. Water contained in plastic bottles is clean and filtered, whereas reusable ones are often filled with unfiltered water from a water fountain, containing metal and bacteria. As well as this, reusable bottles are not always cleaned properly, allowing harmful bacteria a place to grow. These types of bacteria include E. Coli and have been known to cause illnesses such as pneumonia and blood infections. In an experiment conducted by www.treadmillreviews.net, more than 900,000 colony-forming units of bacteria were found on a reusable bottle's mouthpiece. They concluded that drinking from a reusable cup may be worse than licking a chewed up dog toy.

"The dangers of reusable bottles is that when not cleaned properly, you can consume harmful bacteria. Additionally, when reusable bottles are bought straight off the shelf, some may not be BPA free, meaning they contain an industrial chemical that can be harmful if consumed in great amounts," Matthew Benjamin ('21) said.

Students concerned for the environment can recycle their plastic bottles. Recycling plastic bottles prevents emissions of greenhouse gases and water pollutants, while also saving energy.

"People say that plastic bottles cause pollution, but if everybody threw away their reusable bottles then that would be pollution too. I think that if we want to lessen pollution of plastic bottles then we need to make recycling bins more accessible. Other than school, there are few places with recycling bins. I think that we could advertise [recycling] more and remind people it is an option too," Justin Bowling ('21) said.

There's no need to worry about improperly cleaning plastic bottles, making them the better option than bacteria ridden reusables. The spotlight recently turned back to plastic bottles, promoting a healthier way to drink water.

Published: https://issuu.com/mustangpress/docs/issue_5_hb_april_2019