How to Never Use Another Plastic Water Bottle
We all know about the importance of staying hydrated. Keeps your body circulating, helps deliver nutrients throughout our body, regulates our body temperature, it even makes your skin look good. All good stuff.
We also know we are all a busy bunch of people. Constantly on the go, it’s rare to see someone in their car (or even on foot) without a liquid of some form handy.
Look. Some of us need coffee before we can be human. It makes us better mothers. I know there are some amens out there…
…back to water. Yes. Water is super duper important. In fact, climate change disrupts the cycle and precipitation. The increased pattern of erratic weather - droughts and floods - could have a dangerous impact on our clean water supply. If you need a refresher on what is causing climate change and why it’s nothing but bad news, read here.
So you are driving around running errands, you are at store #3 of the day, because somehow there isn’t a single store that has everything you need in one place…sigh…and you are parched. You grab a perfectly chilled, sealed, and portioned plastic water bottle from the little fridge next to the cashier. Maybe you feel a little bit guilty but tell yourself, “it’s okay, I’m totally going to recycle it.”
Well…not to burst your bubble…but there is a huge chance it will not actually make its way to a recycling facility. Of the 5,800 million tonnes of primary plastic no longer in use, only 9 percent has been recycled since 1950.
Why don’t materials that can be recycled make it to recycling facilities? It’s a great question with a complicated answer. Recycling is at the mercy of market demand, pricing, local regulations, technology, and of course human behavior and compliance.
Here is a great list of 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Plastic and Recycling. Maybe “great” isn’t the best word to describe the list…but it’s very informative.
So back to you being thirsty in the car, maybe you’re even trying to reach your 64 ounces of water in a day or some crazy amount that actually requires you to map where every public and clean toilet is in the vicinity…
You need to have a reusable water bottle. Plain and simple. There are TONS out there.
Recommended Reusable Water Bottles
A big drawback to lugging around a giant metal or glass water bottle is its size and weight. Here is a solution for that: the silicon collapsible water bottle!
There are several brands, this bright orange one is made of medical grade liquid silicone material and contains no BPA/bisphenol A/bisphenol S. It is safe, non-toxic and odorless, and easy to clean and store.
Lots of fun colors to choose from, this highly rated gray one even comes with a cleaning brush!
Another huge bonus to these collapsible water bottles? You can throw them in any bag, perfect for traveling, and they are lightweight enough to buy one for everyone in the family.
If you don’t have a need to travel as light, I recommend a water bottle made of metal. These are great for keeping your water (or iced coffee) super chilled for hours.
A very reliable brand is Hydro Flask. Sizes range from 12 to 128 ounces. Fun colors, very durable, BPA-free and phthalate-free, and made from food-grade stainless steel. Look at this cute yellow one for kids.
Takeya is another great brand! My boys each have one for soccer practice, and these definitely take a beating…
For a water bottle shape that more closely resembles an actual water bottle, the S’well water bottles are very popular.
For those who want to keep their coffee super hot for hours, or iced coffee cold for hours, there is the illustrious Yetti. While I have found that other brands can keep ice intact for nearly an entire day, the Yetti is famous for it.
Some of these are best maintained by hand washing rather than throwing in the dishwasher, so be sure to read the labels.
So go forth, conquer that hydration goal, and Drink Like a Mensch!!