Heyman-1

Anna-Maria Heyman

Professor Lahmon

ENG 1101

4-16-20

Banning Plastic Water Bottles

Have you ever considered the number of plastic water bottles that are not actually

recycled but, instead, found in landfills and oceans each year? Plastic waste takes hundreds of

years to decompose with more than 90 percent of it still existing. 1 Each year approximately 38

billion plastic water bottles are found in our landfills. Additionally, more than 8 million tons of

plastic are dumped into our oceans.2 Recognizing that plastics such as water bottles are not being

recycled properly you can see how this form of waste could affect our planet considerably.

Though plastic bottles are handy for emergencies and are appreciated for the great tastes they

carry, they have more damaging effects than benefits. In banning plastic water bottles we can

reduce waste, protect our environment, and better our health.

1
Lemons, Jane Fullerton. "Plastic Pollution." CQ Researcher, 7 Dec. 2018, pp. 1017-40,
library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2018120700.
2
Cotroneo, Nicole. "Back to the tap? How the environmental impact of bottled water is getting people to give up
their plastic." New York Times Upfront, vol. 142, no. 1, 7 Sept. 2009, p. 26+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A207323952/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=d2906f3d.
Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.
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Water bottles are single-use plastic, which means they are designed to be used only once

and then discarded either through recycling methods or the trash. 3The fact that water bottles are

manufactured as single-use reveals just how damaging plastic waste is because it leaves so much

more plastic in our environment. In banning single-use plastic water bottles we will be able to

reduce the large amount of waste that is found across our landfills and oceans each year. Jane

Fullerton Lemons shares a statement from The American Chemistry Council that says “Clearly,

there is a gap between the future we want and the future we're going to have if we don't intervene

in some way”. 4 Lemons then shares that only nine percent of the plastic waste that has been

created has been recycled since 2015, with a vast majority ending up in landfills and water

streams after only being used once. This source shows how imperative it is to find alternatives to

plastic water containers by stating factual evidence and explaining why using plastic water

bottles are extremely wasteful and harmful to our ecosystem.

Not only is plastic waste accumulating in our landfills and oceans but it is also harmful to

use because of the direct links it has to health problems. The New York Times Company and

Marianne Marchese both share evidence that display how plastic can leak harmful compounds

into our bodies through ingestion.5Chemicals like Bisphenol A, better known as BPA, can not

only mimic one's hormones but cause a wide range of hormonal issues, cancers, and infertility

3
Lemons, Jane Fullerton. "Plastic Pollution." CQ Researcher, 7 Dec. 2018, pp. 1017-40,
library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2018120700.
4
Lemons, Jane Fullerton. "Plastic Pollution." CQ Researcher, 7 Dec. 2018, pp. 1017-40,
library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2018120700.

5
Marchese, Marianne. "Environmental medicine update: breast cancer and Bisphenol A." Townsend Letter,
no. 337-338, Aug.-Sept. 2011, p. 114+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-
com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A265978629/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=98aff4ed. Accessed 16
Apr. 2020.
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complications down the road. 6 BPA is a chemical that is leaked in water bottles through

exposure to heat or from being stored in plastic for long periods. So, while plastic water bottles

produce a convenient way to store our water, they also carry various health hazards. In banning

plastic water bottles, people's health will likely improve by decreasing the chances of one

developing cancer, becoming hormonally imbalanced, or possessing complications with fertility.

Though water bottles carry certain health risks and pollute our lands, there are critics who

believe that the ban on plastic water bottles should not be issued. An article by the NY Times

titled “Are Metal Water Bottles Safer?”, gives reasoning as to why water being stored in metal

containers is just as much of an issue as being stored in plastic. 7 Critics believe the issue is not

about how we contain our water but how to better recycle it. Since some metal water bottles are

coated in plastic linings, critics are quick to say that banning plastic water bottles and switching

to metal is not the best solution. Instead, they say that because plastic is made to be recycled, we

should develop solutions that focus on recycling rather than eliminating the use of plastic water

bottles. In suggesting this they advise us to find alternatives so that banning plastic water bottles

can be prevented. Another source, The University of Vermont, conducted a study that showed if

we take away the option of plastic water bottles people will more likely switch over to sugar

6
Are Metal Water Bottles Safer?" NYTimes.com Video Collection, 20 Oct. 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing
Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/CT604294935/OVIC?
u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=e22136b0. Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.

7
"Are Metal Water Bottles Safer?" NYTimes.com Video Collection, 20 Oct. 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing
Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/CT604294935/OVIC?
u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=e22136b0. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020.
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enriched drinks.8 It is for reasons like these that critics do not support the idea of great-tasting

water with its enjoyable convenience coming to a halt.

In looking at both sides, the biggest impact of producing a more sustainable ecosystem

would be to eliminate plastic water bottle waste. By decreasing the amount of water bottle

manufacturing, plastic waste and pollution are reduced while health benefits are recognized. In

restricting the usage of water bottles, refillable water stations could be put in place for a more

suitable solution. Not only would refillable water fountains be of great use to the masses, but

they can distribute plentiful amounts of clean, toxin-free tap water. By discontinuing the

production of plastic water bottles we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves, saving

our planet.

8
"University Of Vermont's Ban On Bottled Water Backfires." All Things Considered, 14 Oct. 2015. Gale In
Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A432103112/OVIC?
u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=57f12a5c. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020.
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Works Cited

"Are Metal Water Bottles Safer?" NYTimes.com Video Collection, 20 Oct. 2019. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/CT604294935/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=e22136b0. Accessed 1 Apr. 2020.

Cotroneo, Nicole. "Back to the tap? How the environmental impact of bottled water is getting
people to give up their plastic." New York Times Upfront, vol. 142, no. 1, 7 Sept. 2009, p. 26+.
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-
com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A207323952/OVIC?
u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=d2906f3d. Accessed 1 Apr. 2020.

Lemons, Jane Fullerton. "Plastic Pollution." CQ Researcher, 7 Dec. 2018, pp. 1017-40,

library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2018120700.

Marchese, Marianne. "Environmental medicine update: breast cancer and Bisphenol A."

Townsend Letter, no. 337-338, Aug.-Sept. 2011, p. 114+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
 Heyman-1

https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A265978629/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=98aff4ed. Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.

"University Of Vermont's Ban On Bottled Water Backfires." All Things Considered, 14 Oct.

2015. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A432103112/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=57f12a5c. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020.