This weeks tips revolve around water bottles, particularly the single-serve ones. I admit, they are really convenient, especially when on the run, but they create so much waste and considering water from the tap is really cheap, they are pretty expensive. For some facts on how many bottles are used and wasted each year, the financial aspect of water bottles, and some interesting information on where some bottled water comes from, check out The Filter For Goood campaign. Be sure to take the pledge while you are there and enter to win some great prizes. This brings us again to the 3 Rs: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.
Reduce
-Use less bottled water. Buy a re-usable water bottle, like Nalgene or SIGG and fill it with water from your tap. If you do not care for the taste of your tap water, buy a filter for your tap and try it again. If your tap water is unsafe to drink or you still do not like the taste after filtering, buy bottled water in the largest possible container and fill your water bottle that way. It is not recommended to re-use the individual plastic water bottles because they start to break down into the water, especially when exposed to extreme temperatures such as heating or freezing.
Re-use
So if you should not re-use the individual bottles for water, how can you re-use them?
-Cut the tops off and use them as mini-planters.
-Use them for those layeredsand crafts (remove the label first).
-Fill with water, cap tightly and use for ice packs, either in lunches or for injuries.
Recycle
-Put out with regular recycling for pick up. Most of these bottles are #1 and picked up in most municipalities.
-Recycled water bottles can be made into fiber and used in all sorts of ways.
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