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Food

Bottled water

(71 Posts)
TiggyW Sat 08-Mar-25 20:01:44

Why do people buy huge amounts of bottled water? I’m just curious. It’s a waste of plastic and energy.

Sago Mon 10-Mar-25 09:46:34

30 years ago before bottled water was such a thing, we lived in a hamlet with our own spring, we all paid an annual amount to cover testing, machinery etc.
At one of our AGM meetings a resident suggested bottling our water to sell.
We thought he was mad!

Barleyfields Mon 10-Mar-25 09:22:23

I don’t drink much water, other than in coffee, but I would never buy water in plastic bottles. Our planet is overflowing with plastic and our oceans are full of it. It kills fish and wildlife. When ordering water in a restaurant I always ask for tap water.

Witzend Mon 10-Mar-25 09:17:17

Jaxjacky

We lived in Françe for a few years, I was amazed at the racks of bottled water in the supermarkets, we drank the tap water and were fine.

When was that? I first visited France in the 60s (school exchange trip) and we were warned that not all tap water was ‘potable’. Which IIRC was true at the time, and would explain the proliferation of bottled water even then.

TheWeirdoAgain1 Mon 10-Mar-25 09:13:35

I guzzle loads of water every day but use metal refillable bottles and the plastic ones with sipper straws in the lid.

On the rare occasion I buy plastic bottle water I drink the water then dump the bottle in the recycle bin, I could never just rubbish bin it!

Granmarderby10 Mon 10-Mar-25 09:07:52

Ooh Karmalady please can you tell me how to find out about such a system?
and is the soft water where you live nicer on your skin and hands?

Witzend Mon 10-Mar-25 09:01:43

I well remember it being something of a ‘new fashion’ in the early 80s. At the time we were living in the Abu Dhabi desert, where dh was building a new airport. Our water came in a bowser - it was hot and brown. We had to a) filter it, b) boil it, and c) keep it in the fridge.

So it was very hard to understand why in the U.K. people were suddenly paying thousands of times more for something that came clean and cold out of the tap.

Who else remembers the would-be launch of Dasani water (owned by Coca-Cola IIRC) that was scrapped, after one of our tabloids revealed that the water would be coming out of an ordinary tap in Sidcup?

Jaxjacky Mon 10-Mar-25 08:16:55

We lived in Françe for a few years, I was amazed at the racks of bottled water in the supermarkets, we drank the tap water and were fine.

JackyB Mon 10-Mar-25 08:02:37

When I first came to Germany in the 1970s, everyone bought and drank bottled water. The default was - and still is - sparkling water. It was sold in glass bottles in crates which you could return and get your deposit back. As you can imagine, the crates of full glass bottles were heavy and many people would balance them on their bikes to get them home. It's not uncommon these days to have a Soda Stream to make your own "Sprudel".

They had a great distrust of tap water and of still water in general, although I am sure that even back then the tap water would have been fine. Probably still in the mindset of those who had struggled through the post-war years (I'm thinking of my in-laws)

Nowadays all bottles have a deposit on them and if people don't return their own bottles, there are enough scavengers picking them up and taking them back to get the deposit on them. It soon adds up.

escaped Mon 10-Mar-25 07:12:27

A bit of useless information here, but did you know that the late Queen always drank Malvern water and took bottles of it everywhere she went?

Calendargirl Mon 10-Mar-25 07:08:51

FriedGreenTomatoes2

It’s ubiquitous these days isn’t it?
Never saw people walking along the road in the 60’s and ‘70’s clutching water bottles as if their very lives depended on them.

Very true.

You see people swigging water when they are sitting in church for an hour’s service, and one woman has a water bottle on the side at Aquacise, and has sips now and again.

Thing is, she is hardly active, and does little to develop a thirst.

escaped Mon 10-Mar-25 06:56:18

Quick question, so does anyone know?
If the water supply to your house comes through lead pipes, will a water purifier eliminate the heavy metal?

karmalady Mon 10-Mar-25 06:15:07

or plastic filters, my aarke is made from metal and the loose filter material is added, not replaced via a plastic holder. If I need more water then I simply store in a 2 litre glass jug

Yes I use tap water to filter but never neat, even for cooking

karmalady Mon 10-Mar-25 06:08:16

Tap water has needed to be `cleaned` and lots of chemicals are added to make potable drinking water, not forgetting that much water is recycled and it also contains medications and other nasties.

Personally, I have filtered water for over 50 years, having actually physically been present when sacks of chemicals were added at a water treatment plant. These chemicals have increased over the years with the increasing population, industrial run-off etc

I started with the simple cheap filters in jugs, then when onto the zero brand and now always use an aarke water purifier, which is neat for standing on my countertop. No need for plastic bottles or filters these days

My tap water here in somerset is soft and tasteless but no tap water is for me

Ladyleftfieldlover Mon 10-Mar-25 05:04:45

OH worked in third world countries as a Consultant Water Engineer. He has always thought that buying bottled water when we have perfectly safe tap water is madness! The only bottled water we have is when it’s hot weather and we keep one or two bottles of tap water in the fridge.

Granmarderby10 Mon 10-Mar-25 00:53:39

All media influenced. In my day it was a fag and maybe a cuppa in the cafeteria😉

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sun 09-Mar-25 21:50:50

It’s ubiquitous these days isn’t it?
Never saw people walking along the road in the 60’s and ‘70’s clutching water bottles as if their very lives depended on them.

GrannyIvy Sun 09-Mar-25 21:46:28

Bottled water for me to drink, still not sparkling.

TerriBull Sun 09-Mar-25 21:37:37

The tap water where I am is horrible, I filter it too. I do have bottled water in the garage for occasional use, if we go away, my husband also takes a bottle with him to golf, sometimes our grandchildren want a bottle when they visit.

fancythat Sun 09-Mar-25 21:34:21

Will message you.
But yes, roughly the second.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sun 09-Mar-25 21:33:02

Do you mean your spring water comes from a bottle too fancythat (like me) or have you a well/rock stream in your back garden? 🤔

fancythat Sun 09-Mar-25 21:31:15

Our tap water tastes foul

I am fortunate enough to have spring water.

The difference between that and other peoples' tap water is huge.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sun 09-Mar-25 21:31:03

Or slices of cucumber. Very refreshing.

dotpocka Sun 09-Mar-25 21:30:56

water here sucks need bottled water for chemo and coffee
and water in general

Granmarderby10 Sun 09-Mar-25 21:27:02

I like some sparkling water, but mainly I fill glass bottles with tap water and refrigerate, it greatly improves it and sometimes I throw caution to the wind and add sliced lemon 🍋

SueDonim Sun 09-Mar-25 21:01:27

I bought bottled water for about six weeks last year when repairs to our house meant we had no water downstairs. I must say, I was mightily pleased when the job was finished and we could go back to tap water. Where I live, it’s lovely water anyway.