Plastic is such a huge global issue affecting us, nature and the Earth in so many ways. There is the obvious evidence, like floating plastic waste in rivers or washed up on beaches, and around the necks, bodies or beaks of animals.
But there are so many hidden evils. For example, plastic in the stomachs of washed up whales, or dead fledgling birds, and micro-particles of plastic in our food and water.
In 1869 an inventor, John Hyatt, developed a synthetic polymer as a substitute for Ivory. The first fully synthetic plastic was created in 1907 in New York by Leo Baekeland. His plastic, called “Bakelite” was the first plastic invented that retained its shape after being heated. It was used to make radios, telephones and electrical insulation. By 1944 when Leo died, the world production of Bakelite was at 175-thousand tons and was used to manufacture more than 15-thousand products.
During World War II plastic production increased by 300%, and the need and excitement around this new product also increased. Plastic secured its place in history, replacing many traditional materials and packaging. In 1950 we were making 1.5-million tons of plastic annually. This number increased exponentially over the next 50-years, growing to 200-million tons by 2002.
Recycling plastic started in the 1970’s as plastic waste began to grow and become an obvious and unavoidable problem. By the 1980s recycling programs were available in most US cities, and over the years companies have tried to improve what type of plastics we can recycle, the collection of those plastics, and the options for reusing them within various market products.
Despite all the efforts to raise awareness and slow the production and consumption of plastic, plastic production increased to more than 350-million tons annually in 2019.
More than 50% of the items we put in our recycling bins are rejected and end up in the trash anyway due to being recycled incorrectly or not being clean. Only around 9% of recyclable plastic is actually recycled.
Let’s say that again … ONLY 9% of recyclable plastic is actually recycled!
Most ends up in landfills or the ocean. More recently, as China and other countries have stopped taking our recycling, less and less of our recycled waste is ending up being actually recycled and more of it is sitting waiting to find somewhere to go, or months later, it ends up in landfills anyway.
Despite the obvious issues around plastic pollution, we keep making it, and using it, at exponential rates! Plastic trash makes up 80% of marine trash and it is estimated that by 2025 the plastic trash in the ocean will be equivalent 100 plastic bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world.
That information makes many of us sad, and may have us pause a moment…but does it make enough of us act? The effects of this amount of plastic in the environment is visual, and causes damage to animals or beaches. Plastic can take up to 400 years to decompose, if at all, but as plastics begin to break down, they don’t decompose and disappear, they are just breaking into smaller and smaller pieces that don’t actually go away completely. Microplastics can be found in our food supply, in the water we drink, and sometimes in the air we breathe.
All bottled water is, is glorified ground water or tap water that is filtered and packaged in fancy plastic. Filtering your tap water is healthier for you and healthier for the environment.
Recycling isn’t working; but neither is it the first point of defense we have against trying to lessen the impact of human waste pollution in the world. Recycling is the third R when we teach our kids environmental awareness in school, so let’s remember that! Let’s find ways to Reduce and Re-use first, and then Recycle last.
Let’s also add one more R…REFUSE. Refuse to buy silly items made of plastic. Refuse to use up those little bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion in hotels. Refuse to take a plastic stirrer…pay attention – the list is seemingly endless!
One of my favorite sayings is “Vote with your Dollars” and I keep hearing it more and more as people become aware of how their choices can make a difference. If you buy bottled water often, you are supporting and encouraging the production of more water bottles to fill the shelves. Instead, support and “vote” for renewable and reusable resources like water filtration, reusable shopping bags and organic pesticide free groceries! If half the world started voting with their dollars in these simple ways, the change would become monumental and hard for big companies to ignore!
About PUR2o We are striving to provide as many people as possible with filtered, purified, naturally alkaline and ionized water for drinking and cooking straight from the tap, for three reasons. We care about the health of YOU, the health of our PLANET and the health of your POCKET!
THE HEALTH OF YOU Our goal is to provide as many people as possible with pure, crystal clear, safe & healthy water. PUR2o Alkaline water is shown to benefit: Overall health and energy, weight management, muscle stimulation, brain power, digestive system, mood, body temperature, youthfulness, complexion, lifespan, and boosting your immune system.
THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET We are also committed to creating a greater awareness of how plastic and plastic bottles are polluting our planet and our bodies by providing the best water out of your tap, eliminating the amount of plastic we dispose of and how much water we consume out of plastic bottles.
THE HEALTH OF YOUR POCKET Aside from all the health benefits of Alkaline Water, you save a tremendous amount of money with our systems! Did you know?…. If you drink eight glasses of water each day, it will cost approximately $55 per year; vs $1,700 if you were to drink the same amount of bottled water instead. The PUR2o system pays for its self in only one year by one persons water consumption.