Bottle-free Water Coolers
Your department can save money but keep the same great tasting water by switching to a more sustainable bottle-free water cooler. Departments across campus are doing it. Find out how!
While bottled water is the cause of incredible amounts of
pollution, and has both financial and health costs to consumers, it
continues to be a multi-billion dollar industry. The following chart
compares several aspects of bottled water to tap water:
| Consideration | Bottled Water | Tap Water |
| Financial Cost | Approximately $2 per litre (often more than a litre of gasoline). | $0.00105 per litre. |
| Mandatory/Regulatory Inspection | Once every 3-5 years. (not always possible due to shortage of certified water inspectors) | Several times daily. |
| Contamination and Health Concerns | 49 bottled water products have been
recalled in Canada since 2000 for safety concerns. Concentrations of
arsenic, mercury, bromide, e. coli bacteria, and lead have been found in
certain samples. |
Regular inspection works to prevent
harmful contamination of water supplies, any issues can be confronted
quickly and efficiently, and those in the area can be easily notified. |
| Source | 25% of bottled water in Canada is simply bottled tap water. |
A consistent, regulated, local water supply. |
| Taste | Bottled water absorbs non-digestible plastic particles overtime, taking on the flavour of the bottle. |
Tap water taste varies slightly, depending on the amount of harmless local minerals in the water supply. |
| Non-Biodegradable Plastic Waste | Over 235,000 tons in Canada alone, each year. | None as tap water is distributed via permanent infrastructure. |
| Water Waste | Approximately one bottle worth of water is wasted per bottle sold. | Minimal if any, as tap water is distributed and recollected in a closed loop system. |
| Transportation | Container ships and trucks transport bottled water (often over thousands of kilometres), emitting greenhouse gasses. | Water remains within a local watershed and is delivered very efficiently. |
| Amount you pay for advertising | 10% - 15% The bottled water industry uses fear mongering techniques to promote bottled water over tap water. |
Some municipalities use minimal amounts
of tax payer dollars to develop educational campaigns around the
importance of supporting public tap water. |
| Profit Margin for Company | 35% The bottled water industry is made up of for-profit companies. A for-profit model cuts water service to low income residents who cannot afford water. |
0% Tap water is a government service made available to all residents of every income class. |
