By the gallon...

[bladespark]

Do you drink bottled water? Happily I don't, so I don't have to feel really stupid after reading this. I've bought a few bottles of the stuff, which funnily enough I buy for the bottle, one of them's being used as a cheap substitute for the Nalgene that I can't bring myself to spend that much on this very moment. But I fill them up once they're empty with tap water, which I find perfectly palatable in most places. (Although one of my apartments in Ireland about drove me to get bottles. Ugh.)

Anyhow, I just discovered two things, one of which is that the two major bottled water brands, Daisani and Aquafina are filtered tap water. That's it. Nothing special, no mountain springs or exotic minteral content, just the local water run through a filter no better than you could buy yourself.

The other thing is that bottled water costs more than gasoline here in the USA. That $1, 20 oz. size breaks down to 5 cents an ounce. The $3 gallon of gas everybody's screaming about is only 2 cents an ounce. And while gasoline is pumped up, shipped, refined, shipped again, and then sold, the bottled stuff is just run off the plant's local tap water, filtered once, shipped once, and sold. They're making a killing on that stuff!

Edited - here's a few other things priced by the gallon! http://www.cockeyed.com/science/gallon/liquid.html

Comments

[kaura-nighthawk.livejournal.com]

There's bottled water, then there's bottled water. Mineral water can be worth it- and even has its connoisseurs along the lines of wine collectors. Mineral content can affect its acidity and taste. The cheap plastic bottle stuff, however (and notably, much like alcoholic beverages), share none of those virtues. They're simply "convenient."

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

It's water.

I'm sure some brands have some redeeming value that makes them worth more than Daisani, but it's still water and I think it's silly to pay more than I pay for gas for the stuff, no matter what minreral content it's got.

[kaura-nighthawk.livejournal.com]

The higher-end stuff's a luxury item. And to be fair, some of the filtration, mineralization processes do get a bit techy (I know of at least one company using UV lasers in their filtration process). When it's a matter of luxury, the point isn't that it's got the same dihydrogen oxide makeup as everybody else- it's what it symbolizes.

So, no- it isn't just water. It's rich people's water. >_>

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

This supports my long-held belief that a good percentage of rich people are idiots.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

(And I should say... it isn't that I don't understand why rich people drink high end bottled water. I understand it perfectly well. I just think it's stupid. Just like designer clothes and designer pets and many, many, many other things the wealthy waste their money on.)

[svashtar.livejournal.com]

Can't say anything. Convention folk waste our money on action figures that don't do anything, My Little Ponies that get cancer, costumes we wear only once in a while and hopefully wash more often than that, etc.

They spend their money because they can. We do the same, only in far less quantities, probably on sillier things.

[aoanla.livejournal.com]

Not really - it's nouveau-riche people's water. Old-rich people just drink from the tap and like it.

[2dlife.livejournal.com]

Uh... UV "lasers" are actually a very standard "filtration" method. Most places do it. It kills bacteria and inactivates virions and preserves the life of the subsequent filter if one is used.

Most hospitals UV irradiate their water and that's certainly not because it's some fancy schmancy rich thing. Most labs have deionized water that is passed through a RO filter then irradiated. It's a complex process and you get about 30% of what you put in (the rest is flushed) but it's super-pure and you can be sure that nothing random will grow in media solutions made with it. (Although to be triply sure, we filter media solutions through a .2 micron filter and then autoclave.)

Also, unless you're drinking distilled water (or 18.2 MOhm DI water), you're almost certainly getting a lot more than just H2O. A lot of that is actually toxic (arsenic, heavy metals), but some of it is good for you (fluorides) -- most of it has a taste we associate with water. (This is why drinking distilled water which is very common in Hong Kong is actually not as refreshing as drinking filtered tap.)

So, minerals in water, very strong impact on taste. I find tap water (and I've been places that have supposedly very good tap water) tastes a little metallic from the pipes it passes through. Thus, I filter my tap water with one of the expensive Pur filters that has an ion exchange column . It's a personal preference thing. I also used to buy bottled water (back when the tap water was so disgusting that even the filter didn't help that much. It was $5 for a 5 gallon jug including delivery (2 jugs every 2 weeks, $20 a month and that was the most expensive plan because it was just me and my roommate and 5 gallons is a lot of water.) I'm not rich, but I'll be damned if I let my tea taste like bad tap water.

[harliquinnraver.livejournal.com]

we drink bottled for a number of reasons. and since we live in california (the state is like ridiculously strict on recycling), we know all our bottles get recycled.

the tap water here tastes disgusting. at first we tried a filter but that really didnt do any good. :/ and at only a couple bucks for a large flat filled with half liter bottles, we are breaking the bank. especially since the flat lasts us a week or 2. and weve stopped buying soda. :)


btw, as far as gas prices go? you can thank all those people who are buying big SUVs and massive trucks. THEY are the reason the gas prices have increased over the years.


Anyhow, I just discovered two things, one of which is that the two major bottled water brands, Daisani and Aquafina are filtered tap water. That's it.

i honestly did NOT know that but you know what?? that really explains A LOT. i freaking HATE Dasani and Aquafina!! those along with Evian are the TOP brands that i WILL NOT drink. the taste is bloody AWFUL. i hate tapwater!! my drinking water is the only thing in seriously pick about! XD

[harliquinnraver.livejournal.com]

correcting: at only a couple bucks for a large flat filled with half liter bottles, we ARENT* breaking the bank

[beetlecat.livejournal.com]

I hate the taste of bottled water.. but then I also dislike the taste of tap water unless I let it run for a bit to get cold. But if I fill up my nalgene in the morning, it tastes good later even at room temperature *shrugs*

Buying cases of bottled water seems really silly since it would make so much more sense to just buy a cooler and then refill 5 gallon jugs with reverse osmosis or distilled water. Ends up being around 50 cents a gallon and leaves no waste.

That's what I grew up on, since country water ain't always fit to drink..

[privatepony.livejournal.com]

While I would support a no-bottled-water pledge, and when I'm in the states I *do* drink pretty much exclusively from the tap, while I'm over here, there's big, bold signs that say "DO NOT DRINK THE WATER" and "UNFIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION," so my only options are bottled water or dehydration. Plus, the good thing is that we don't pay for it. Free water. The downside to this, however, is when you go back to the states and walk up and grab a bottle of Aquafina from a refrigerator and then walk off without paying, because the thought never crosses your mind that you have to pay for water. That's just silly! :D

[harliquinnraver.livejournal.com]

i should also mention that buying the 20 oz. fancy ass refrigerated stuff for $1 is not the norm. ;) maybe when youre on the go or opting to pick something healthy from the soda machine... but the vast majority of people and families who drink bottled water buy cases of the stuff for $3-4 for anywhere between 12 to 24 bottles on average. so in that instance, its nowhere near as expensive as that article leads you to believe.

can you imagine people buying bottled water and only purchasing the 20 oz bottles for a dollar each? TOTALLY INSANE.

BS!

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

I saw the Penn and Teller Bullshit! show on bottled water and felt pretty stupid. I REALLY like the Fiji brand water (i think that's the one) because it is actually from a tropical source and you can really taste (and pay) the difference...

[aoanla.livejournal.com]

In the UK, we know all about Daisani. Mainly because the brand came over here after mineral water had already created a huge market, and all the papers mocked Daisani to bits. And then they were killed off by a cock-up in their processing plant, where they accidentally added potentially-carcinogenic chemicals to some of their bottles.

So, yeah, Daisani isn't available over here anymore. ¬¬

[moltare.livejournal.com]

Croydon tapwater, for all your ripoff needs.

[tarathene.livejournal.com]

The water here has way too much arsenic in it, so I hope my filter is removing that. ^^; No bottled water for me unless it's decent stuff and only then in areas where the water is completely unsafe even filtered and boiled.

[graydown.livejournal.com]

When I was traveling, I often got stuck drinking bottled water. It's such a ripoff, and bad for the environment, too.

The worst was in the LA airport. Once you'd gone through security, you couldn't easily leave, and the only water around was $6/bottle at Starbucks. They knew that we didn't have another option. Bastards.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

We have two water coolers in our house for a very simple reason. We live on Long Island which has one of the highest breast cancer rates and the theory is that the water may contribute to this. So we get our drinking water from another source. Then there are the times that we are cautioned about the tap water from the local water authority....

I do tend to not use bottled water but use the bottles to put water in.

[malakim2099.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I occasionally pick up some bottled water, typically if I'm out and about. Though I do pick up a 6-pack of sports bottles just because... well, I want the bottles. *grins*

The filtered water we have in the house works just fine for me, thanks!

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I've never drank bottled water. Part is just taste - mineral water tastes pretty yucky to me.

But the main thing is I live in the UK. We have some of the cleanest, purest water anywhere. Our tap water is 99.999999999% always safe to drink. I don't see the point of paying money for a polluting plastic bottle of liquid I can get from my own taps. British water is GOOD, we don't need coca-cola to filter it.

I remember the Dasani scandal over here. Coca-cola decided to sell bottled water at £1 a bottle (about $2). It was tap water. LITERALLY, just filtered tap water. That's all it was. Of course it amused us to no end that in the process of filtering they managed to contaminate the water with toxic, carcinogenic benzene.

[aoanla.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was bromate they contaminated it with - the irony being that this contamination was caused by chemical alteration of bromide salts which exist harmlessly in tap water...

[svashtar.livejournal.com]

I only buy bottled water so I can have something in my car. I reuse the bottle till I begin to fear bacterial invason, and then buy a new bottle.

The Dasani tastes exactly like my tap water, only less soft. A friend of mine gave me a water bottle that had ingredients listed. That's just wrong.

[kainhighwind-dr.livejournal.com]

Yeah I only drink bottled when I have no choice, or if I'm in an area where I know the tap water tastes off or foul. We filter our own water, otherwise. We also try to keep a carton of bottles on hand for emergencies/disasters, because filling and refilling those big 4L milk containers every time it needs changing in storage is a real pain to remember to do (easier to just drink the pre-bottled stuff after a year or so). Funnily enough, I do like the taste of Dasani (even though I was shocked when I actually read the label one day). Supposedly, they claim the salts they add "give it a taste their customer base prefers."

One thing to note: cheap plastic drink bottles are not supposed to be reused, as they can supposedly leach plastic chemicals into your drink over time. Anything with a recycle number of 1 or 2 should be recycled once empty; resuable containers should have a higher number (usually 5 or greater). We buy relatively inexpensive reusable Rubbermaid drink containers from Zellers/Wal-Mart etc instead. That said, I haven't managed to break my habit of using cheap plastic containers in the microwave when not eating a workday lunch at home (supposedly a bad idea for the same reasons as the drink bottles).

[thetommydodd.livejournal.com]

Go-juice for $3 (£1.50) a gallon? 33p a litre? And they're complaining? They don't know they're born! (Diesel 93p a litre last time I tanked).
Re: Water, bottled. Agree completely. Only time I use the stuff is a) Where it's the only available liquid or b) I have serious reservations about the local supply: Both of which conditions applied at various points on my recent trip.

[rabbitsystem.livejournal.com]

Daisini get away with it in the US? Interesting...they lasted about a month here.

I personally hate filtered water. It tastes soapy. That's probably got a lot to do with the fact that I grew up in a hard-water area, and uni is also in a reasonably hard-water area, so soft water doesn't taste like 'proper' water should.

[pet-tiger.livejournal.com]

I only buy Evian bottles once in a while because I love the flip top they have. Really, I only buy Evian for the bottle and only buy new ones when the old one's lids break off. ^^;
And I only like Evian because it tastes the closest to tap water. ^^;

I've not been able to find a decent water bottle that wasn't from bottled water. I hate the hard plastic ones, the ones with twist off lids and the ones with wide mouths.

I'm not concerned enough to filter my water or have a cooler with RO water. I can't really justify spending the money on that, when I like the taste of tap water.

[susie-que.livejournal.com]

I really don't care whats said about bottled water. The bottom line for me is theres a flat out taste differnce.