If you were to walk outside right now, you would see at least one water bottle laying on the ground. Seeing plastic bottles on the ground outside shouldn’t be normalized as plastic water bottles can really affect the environment in many ways.

Every day, people open bottles of water and do not think much about it. They don’t think about if they’re hurting the environment or not. The average person drinks around four water bottles every day. That’s a lot of water bottles that would not even be recycled.

Plastic bottles are not good for the environment. Studies show that for every 6 bottles bought, only one gets recycled. Additionally, the majority of plastic water bottles are produced in large factories and cause an increase in the release of fossil fuels that harm our planet and accelerate climate change.

Plastic water bottles are not only harmful for the environment; they also contain toxins that leak into large bodies of water. Plastic water bottles that are exposed to heat have a high risk of toxins, in which scientists do not know the long term effects.

These water bottles take a very long time to break down in the landfills. The average time a plastic water bottle takes to decompose is 450 years. The reason plastic takes so long to decompose is because they are made with man-made plastics and materials that are not biodegradable.

Using reusable water bottles are better for the environment as they limit plastic waste, and in turn reduces our collective carbon footprint. Additionally, the long-term cost of using plastic reusable water bottles is much more expensive than that of a one time purchase of a reusable bottle.

A town in Australia which is said to be the first place to ban the sale of plastic water bottles. Also San Francisco has also taken steps towards banning plastic water bottles. They are banned in Machu Picchu visitors must transport the water in reusable bottles only. Washington University in St.louis was the first university in the U.S. to ban the sale of plastic water bottles.

However, there are some reusable bottles that harm the environment. Plastic reusable water bottles are not good; they use just as much of the same oil and they also would have the same health effects as a plastic water bottle.

The best reusable bottles are stainless steel because they will last a very long time and they are very well insulated. Stainless steel can easily be recycled, making them very eco-friendly. A bad thing about these bottles is that they can be very heavy. Glass water bottles are another good option because they are recyclable making them eco friendly. However, they are not insulated and can break easier.

Using reusable water bottles in place of single-use plastic ones would have an immensely positive impact on our planet. As global warming and climate change continues to increase by the day, it is our duty to make simple changes in our daily lives to save our plant before it is too late.