How home water filtration helps the environment

Guess what…? One of the best things to do to impact the environment involves something you do daily: drinking water. Yep, you heard us. Limiting the size of your geographical footstep begins at home. Not many people know how home water filtration helps the environment. So today, we will discuss the many benefits of it! Not only is clean, filtered, fresh water better for your health, but it is also better for the planet’s health. Water filtration systems reduce pollution, waste generation, and resource use.

Luckily, home water treatment systems make achieving a more sustainable lifestyle more accessible and more affordable. So if you worry about the quality of your drinking water but don’t know what option is best, you are at the right place.

Today, we will discuss how home water filtration helps the environment.

Poppin’ Bottles

500 billion plastic bottles – More than 66 times as many bottles as humans on the planet. This is how many plastic water bottles we throw away each year.

Most people turn to bottled water when seeking a clean water alternative. Water bottle companies spend countless dollars on propagating the message to the general public that bottled water is superior to tap water. However, this is a common misconception. Several environmental studies reveal that bottled water is by no means safer than tap water. A recent study conducted by Orb Media revealed that 93% of the 11 popular water bottle brands in America contain microplastic contamination. An average of 10.4 plastic particles per liter of water – is twice the amount in tap water!

So, the water quality is not superior, but the waste generated by these plastic bottles is.

Data collected by the World Wide Fund for Nature shows that people use 1.5 million tons of single-use plastic bottles annually. Not only are billions of plastic bottles manufactured, but a single-use plastic bottle takes an estimated 450 years to degrade in a landfill. Even after 450 years, plastic never decomposes. Instead, it is slowly broken down into tiny pieces called microplastics. In addition, as the bottle decomposes, it releases harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater.

Landfills aren’t the only place plastic ends up; researchers predicate that in 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. Currently, 14 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans annually. As mentioned before, plastic never completely decomposes. So, all the plastic pollution in the water gets broken down by the sun, salt, and waves. Once broken down, it is impossible to remove.

Yes, people have the option to recycle. However, studies show Americans only reuse and recycle a tiny 23% of the 50 million water bottles generated annually. Worldwide the number of those who recycle is even smaller, coming in at a measly 9%. If only one person opted to use a water filtration system versus single-use plastic water bottles, we could save 156 bottles annually.

Energy and Resources

It may seem that drinking tap water is better for the environment than buying plastic water bottles might be obvious. But did you know that plastic water bottle waste is a small part of plastic water bottles’ environmental impact? To produce a single-plastic water bottle or container requires five times the energy it takes to create tap water. This is because plastic goes through an extensive washing, heating, and cooling process before packaging. In addition, recycling single-use water bottles are also wasteful as the process requires high volumes of petroleum oil.

Creating plastic water bottles requires an estimated 17 million barrels of petroleum oil and 16.25 billion kilowatts per hour of electricity. National Geographic shows that 1 billion plastic bottles consume 24 million gallons of oil. Petroleum products form through the separation of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel-based resources are scarce and finite – eventually, we will run out. All these resources go to producing, transporting, and storing the bottles. Creating 1 liter of plastic water bottle water requires 3 liters of water.

Finally, a home water filtration system saves resources by improving the lifespan of your appliances. Scale build-up from hard water damages electrical appliances, slowing them down and shortening their lifespan. The shorter lifespan results in more appliance purchases and replacements, resulting in more waste. A home water filtration system or water softener reduces scale-build up and the number and rate of appliances ending up in landfills.

Saving Water Scarcity

Water scarcity is truly one of the biggest threats humanity faces today. You might think water is everywhere, and you’re right – it is. 70% of our planet’s surface is water. However, only 3% of the water on earth is drinkable, and 2% of that is the water found in glaciers and ice caps, resulting in constant water shortages in countries all around the world.

Home water filtration systems contribute to conserving scarce water resources in high-need areas by making freshwater safe to drink. They also help mitigate the risk of water scarcity. While in America, the idea of unsafe drinking water is not a big problem. However, our water consumption choices not only impact us but everyone else on the planet.

Many people have access to water, but not water that is safe to drink. 842,000 people die each year from diarrhea caused by consuming unsafe drinking water. In addition, 80% of the illnesses in developing countries result from unhealthy water and sanitation systems, resulting in one out of four deaths of children under the age of five.

What if the money spent on bottled water went towards developing better home water filtration systems? So clean and accessible drinking water could be a more achievable worldwide goal.

Reducing Disease

Tap water goes through a chlorination and fluoridation process. These processes reduce the bacterial load and make it safe for human consumption. Unfortunately, while these processes reduce the spread of certain diseases, they promote the spread of others. For example, chlorine consumption might correlate to cancer and low thyroid levels. The Environmental Protection Agency also links learning disabilities in children to drinking contaminated water. Through drinking quality, chemical-free water, we reduce the toll disease takes on our population and our planet.

In addition, a third of the water we use in our homes is from tap water. A water filter reduces this number significantly. When we consume less tap water, we strain our local water treatment plants less. Therefore, by drinking less tap water, we reduce the number of resources going to these water treatment plants.

Conclusion

Home water filters reduce the environmental toll in so many ways. Not only is clean, filtered water better for you and your family’s health, but also the planet’s health. Crystal Clear Water is an advocate for sustainability which is why we offer whole house and under-the-sink water filtration systems. Contact us today to join our mission to keep our water a pure and obtainable resource for generations to come! Share with your friends how home water filtration helps the environment, and start promoting environmental sustainability by using a home water filtration system.

Crystal Clear would love to bring clean, refreshing, hydrating, quality water to your taps! Bottoms up!

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