In some Canadian water, results were more than 100 times U.S. limit

[CBC News] – More than 70 per cent of bottled water samples from Canada contain bacterial rates that far exceed recommended limits in the U.S., suggests a study presented Tuesday at the general meeting of the American Society of Microbiology in San Diego.

“Heterotrophic bacteria counts in some of the bottles were found to be in revolting figures of 100 times more than the permitted limit,” said Sonish Azam, a researcher on the study. Heterotrophic bacteria are a category which includes all bacteria that survive by consuming organic matter.

Montreal-based C-crest Laboratories Inc. conducted the research after a company employee complained of a foul taste and illness after drinking some bottled water.

The U.S. bacterial limit is no more than 500 colony-forming units of bacteria per millimetre of water. Health Canada does not have an equivalent standard for bacteria in bottled water. Canadian test samples showed results of more than 80,000 heterotrophic units…

Read the rest of this story: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/05/25/con-bottled-bacteria.html

Join the conversation! Today, the Wall Street Journal asked: Has your consumption of bottled water changed over time? This Question of the Day is super important to see if people have taken the jump and are truly reducing their bottled water usage.  We think everyone should add their response and input:

Wall Street Journal: Question of the Day

We’ll post the results tomorrow!

Caron, a yarn company, has a really cool product that is helping reduce the waste from plastic bottles. Their Simply Soft Eco yarn is a blended yarn that is 80% regular yarn material and 20% specially processed fiber produced from recycled plastic bottles!  The yarn even has a special quality – some of the dark color yarn actually has unique white flecks dispersed throughout the yarn aka the result of the plastic bottles. They claim that every 10 balls of yarn (or skein for those in the knitting know) saves 6 plastic bottles from the trash.  With sales so far, Caron has saved almost 1.5million plastic bottles from landfills! Check out more here – Caron

It’s no secret we advocate for the use of reusable bottles. But how often have you found yourself at the reusable bottle aisle at REI and had no idea what to choose? I mean, how many sleepless nights must one lose trying to figure out exactly what bottle to purchase!?

Well, I probably have not lost sleep over this issue, but nonetheless it’s important to once-and-for-all lay the rest the myths and facts about different types of bottles available for purchase.

Reusable Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles come in a multitude of shapes, sizes and flavors. From squeezable bike bottles to heavy-duty plastic bottles like those by Nalgene, plastic bottles offer the greatest variety and versatility for consumers.

Lately, however, the news surrounding a key ingredient used in the production of plastic bottles has seen quite a bit of backlash from consumers. BPA, as it is commonly known, has been linked to cancer in lab tests and, predictably, many consumers quickly moved away from plastic bottles. Major bottle companies like CamelBak and Nalgene quickly changed their bottle production techniques to remove this chemical from their bottles. Read the rest of this entry »

The government in Nova Scotia is taking serious steps help curb the sale of bottled water by committing to ban the sale of bottled water in provincial facilities.

The Polaris Institute notes:

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter used the annual convention of CUPE Nova Scotia to announce his government is committed to a ban on the sale of bottled water in all provincial facilities that have potable water.

Dexter told convention delegates he has asked the Department of the Environment to develop a policy that commits his government to this new practice.

The premier also said he expects to announce the details of pilot projects in the very near future.
Reacting to the announcement, CUPE Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh says, “This makes Nova Scotia the very first province in the country to commit to ending this environmentally unfriendly practice. It also tells Nova Scotians that this government is committed to promoting safe, clean, municipal drinking water.

“These are services that are provided by CUPE municipal workers across the province and something we are very proud of,” says Cavanagh.

“We are also proud to be part of the ‘Turn on the Taps and Ditch the Bottle’ Coalition that has been working to raise awareness on the issue of bottled water in Nova Scotia,” he says.

Across Canada municipalities and school boards, universities and colleges, faith-based organizations and restaurants are standing up for public water by taking out the bottle.

Are people beginning to realize that carrying bottled water is almost as bad as smoking while pregnant? A recent CNN article discussed how many consumers are beginning a backlash against bottled water companies.

The article noted:

“Carrying bottled water is on its way to being as cool as smoking while pregnant,” claims the video “The Story of Bottled Water,” which debuted on YouTube last month and garnered more than 450,000 views.

Is it true? Are liters of Evian now beyond the pale? Is Dasani déclassé? Has bottled water become the new eco-no-no?

Not quite yet. Though water sales have seen a recent downturn, plenty of folks are still paying for their daily hydration.

In fact, Annie Leonard’s video points out, Americans buy more than 500 million bottles of the stuff every week. It’s second only to soda in popularity, and some industry analysts believe that by next year water will become the most-purchased beverage in the country.

She wants to redirect the flow of water. The bottled water companies, the video insists, are “scaring us, seducing us, misleading us” into buying their products. Leonard, the writer and narrator, gives plenty of reasons why more and more people want to “take back the tap.”

Add the fact that, according to Leonard, the amount of petroleum used to make water bottles every year is “enough to fuel a million cars” and that 80 percent of supposedly recyclable plastic bottles end up in landfills, you have the makings a ecological crusade.

Also, she says, tap water is certainly cheaper — thousands of times cheaper. Not to mention that some of the best-selling bottled waters — Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani among them — are, actually, nothing but filtered tap water. The companies have spelled this out on labels after pressure from the consumer watchdog group Corporate Accountability International.

However, Leonard argues that not only does tap water often beat out bottled in blind taste tests, but bottled is often less regulated than tap. Tap water is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, whose standards are generally stricter than the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees most bottled-water sales.

Here’s a link to the full article: Bottled Water Faces Backlash

Here’s the YouTube video that’s creating such a stir:

Here at Ban the Bottle we hope that you are making everyday Earth Day by curbing your usage of bottled water and promoting multi-use bottles. We know that we are making a difference and that’s because of you! Little efforts help make big results and if we can cut the 60 million bottles consumed each year by even a little bit… it’s a success. Have a great Earth Day and continue to BAN THE BOTTLE!!