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Brady Cooper

Prof. Calhoun

English 1101

23 Nov 2021

Ban the Bottle

Did you know that only 12% of recyclable plastic water bottles are actually recycled?

Disposable plastic water bottles and the microplastics that they break down into are some of the

most harmful materials to the earth and the ecosystem. Many of them end up in water sources

and pollute oceans, rivers, and lakes. They are also harmful to human health, and they are a

danger to many species of aquatic and land animals. Disposable plastic water bottles should be

banned from production.

First of all, plastic water bottles are a threat to human health. Plastic water bottles break

down into microplastics that can enter water sources. The damage that these microplastics can

pose to humans is still mostly unknown and potentially very dangerous. The ScienceDirect

article states “Little is known about the extent and characteristics of nano-scale plastics in our

drinking water systems, mainly due to difficulties in their isolation and analysis. These nano-

plastics may pose higher risk to human health than micro-plastics”(Yihi Huang et al.). This

article shows that the research of nanoplastics can be very difficult, and that the damage they

could cause to humans is unknown. This article also states, “Here we report the collection and

analysis of organic nanoparticles from commercial bottled water of two brands. Novel nano-

plastic particle imaging and molecular structure analysis techniques have been applied. The

findings show the existence of organic nanoparticles, and a likely source has been identified to

be the degradation of plastic water bottles”(Yihi Huang et al.). This evidence shows how
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dangerous nanoplastics from bottled water can be. They could be accidentally introduced to your

water source at home and you would not know it. The damage that these nanoplastics from

disposable plastic water bottles could pose is extreme and unmeasurable.

Next, disposable plastic water bottles are a threat to wildlife everywhere around the

world. These plastic water bottles end up in many places, but they are very commonly found in

water sources, which can lead to animals ingesting them. One article states, “they often end up at

the bottom of the ocean, and in the stomachs of a variety of animal species that mistake them for

food. One albatross that was recently found dead on a Hawaiian island had a stomach full of 119

bottle caps(Lights par. 7). This evidence shows the impact that plastic bottles can have on

wildlife in the ocean. Many fish and sharks end up eating plastic on accident. Another piece of

evidence is, “Marine life falls prey to this problem on a daily basis. A sperm whale was found

dead on a North American beach recently with a plastic gallon bottle which had gummed up its

small intestine. The animal’s body was full of plastic material including other plastic bottles,

bottle caps and plastic bags(Lights par. 8). This evidence furthers the point about the damage

plastic bottles can have on marine life. There have been countless amounts of animals that have

died due to our plastic pollution, and that is not right.

Lastly, disposable plastic bottles should be banned because of the damage caused to the

environment and world. Like previously stated, plastic water bottles cause a massive amount of

damage to the ocean and water sources. Britannica states “Plastic water bottles were the third

most commonly collected trash during the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup

behind cigarette butts and plastic food wrappers. By 2050, estimates suggest there will be more

plastic waste by weight in the oceans than fish”(ProCon.org par. 5). This shows the massive

scale of plastic water bottles in the ocean. This plastic waste kills animals and plants in the
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ocean, as well as coral reefs. The article states, “At the most basic level, it takes 3 liters of water

to produce 1 liter of bottled water, according to the Pacific Institute. In other words, before even

adding up the energy needed to produce the actual bottles—which is significant—bottled water

was already three times as inefficient as tap water”(Gifford par. 15). This shows the massive

amount of materials that are wasted when producing bottled water. There is a large amount of

clean water being wasted when 3 times the actual water that is sold is needed to produce it.

Eliminating this could free up a lot of water for areas that need it.

The other side states “Banning bottled water removes a healthy choice and leads to

increased consumption of unhealthy sugary drinks. Increased consumption of zero-calorie

bottled water in place of high-calorie juices and sodas has cut trillions of calories from American

diets”(ProCon.org par. 22). Although bottled water is a healthy alternative to other bottled

products like pop and sugary drinks, people can ultimately learn to drink tap water out of

reusable water bottles instead. This is a very simple solution and all comes down to if the person

is willing to fill up a water bottle or not.

In conclusion disposable bottled water should be banned from production. It is harmful to

the environment, kills countless numbers of animals who ingest its plastics and microplastics,

and could be harmful to human health if ingested. The next time you think about grabbing a

bottled water, fill up a reusable cup or bottle instead.

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Works Cited

Borusiak, Barbara et al. “The Impact of Environmental Concern on Intention to Reduce

Consumption of Single-Use Bottled Water.” Energies, vol. 14, issue 7, Apr.2021, p.1985.

Energy and Power Source. doi:10.3390/en14071985. Accessed 5 Nov. 2021.

Gifford, Dawn. “Why You Should Give up Bottled Water for Good.” Small Footprint

Family™, 30 Aug. 2021, www.smallfootprintfamily.com/why-plastic-bottles-are-bad-

for-the-environment. Accessed 5 Nov. 2021.

Huang, Yihi et al. “Characteristics of nano-plastics in bottled drinking water” Journal of

Hazardous Materials, vol. 424, Feb. 2022. ScienceDirect. Accessed 5 Nov. 2021.

Lights, Zion. “What's the Problem with Plastic Bottles?” One Green Planet, One Green

Planet, 1 Feb. 2016, www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/whats-the-problem-with-

plastic-bottles/. Accessed 23 Nov 2021.

ProCon.org. “Should Bottled Water Be Banned? - Top 4 Pros and Cons.” ProCon.org,

Britannica, 15 June 2021, www.procon.org/headlines/should-bottled-water-be-banned-

top-4-pros-and-cons/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2021

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