Many water bottle companies maintain an image of "straight from the source," "natural," and "organic" water quality. Quite to the contrary, recent Consumer Report studies have shown that up to 49% of U.S. bottled water is just purified tap water.

It's Not Just the Environment That's Negatively Affected

Every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of plastic, often becoming mistaken for food by marine life and making them sick. And negative health affects are also there for people. Studies conducted by the NRDC (Natural Resource Defense Council) found that a startling, 22% of bottled water actually contained of chemical contaminants at levels unsafe for human consumption. It is not required for manufacturers to disclose their treatments methods or potential contaminants in their products.

Recycling Doesn't Solve the Problem

Playing into the problem is the notion that, as long as water bottles are recycled after they are consumed, the environment goes unaffected. The truth is, even if 100 percent of water bottles were recovered, massive resources would still be required to collect, transport, process and manufacture recycled materials – burning up natural resources and emitting greenhouse gases. (Source: Pelican Water Systems)