28 September 2009

The control freaks come for the bottled water

| johnboy
Join the conversation
120

[First filed: July 15, 2009 @ 10:52]

It started with a very local issue in the Southern Highlands where Bundanoon residents got the hump with their own water being trucked back with a 300x markup.

But now the tired recurring voices of rigid social control here in Canberra (particularly on 666 this morning) are calling for the ACT to follow the lead.

Don’t get me wrong. I think that people who make a habit of buying bottled water are indeed idiots. By which I mean the daily brigade.

But it’s a fashion thing, and the fashion has come from countries where the tap water is not as good as ours is (most of the time).

So yes, the vast millions spent on bottled water do seem poorly allocated, but have you seen what people spend on other junk they don’t really need?

Bottled water, as opposed to $600 handbags even has some pretty important benefits to society. You don’t need a lot of gray hair to remember the last time metropolitan drinking supplies were unsafe here in Australia.

IIRC back in 2003 here in Canberra we were being advised not to drink our tap water immediately after the fires.

At no cost to the taxpayer the bottled water industry provides an emergency drinking water supply (a pretty *good thing* TM to most people surely). It also provides, again at no cost to anyone but bottled water buyers, the infrastructure to quickly and efficiently deliver water as needed to where it’s needed.

So by all means choose to drink tap water from a re-usable bottle. I do it myself. But until we shut down every super market (all the transport! all the packaging!), let’s not lose our heads over the bottled water industry just because of a puritan streak inside many of us (myself included) disliking followers of fashion.

Especially when those followers of fashion are funding a very useful emergency amenity.

(As for whether the ACT PS should buy bottled water for its staff? Seriously, you don’t have anything bigger to worry about?)

Bottled water

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sis/ / CC BY 2.0

Join the conversation

120
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

dalryk said :

In a capitalist democratic society all resources are used efficiently according to each person’s personal preference.

BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Postalgeek said :

T said :

Is it just me or are jim jones and FC more about insulting people about their opinions that stating facts.. just a thought…

And just one point… what if you do bring water from home and drink it all but there is no where to refill? do we all get admitted to hopital from dehydration and make our emergency waiting times longer? also what if you weren’t at home the night before????

oh ffs.

Suddenly society ceased to function before the advent of bottled water in the late 20th century.

Bottled water killed the bubbler. Vandals didn’t destroy bubblers till the bottled water came in. maybe they thought it was a waste of money to maintain the bubblers?

You all suck.

1. Anything and everything should be legal and allowed unless there is a good reason otherwise.

2. I have yet to see a good reason to ban bottled water:

2a. Saving people from themsleves is self righteous bullshit. In a capitalist democratic society all resources are used efficiently according to each person’s personal preference. To suggest anything else is tyranny and hubris of the worst kind.

2b. Saving the environment (in this case) is similarly bullshit. Banning bottled water will not have any measureable effect on any environmental measure you chose to mention.

2c. The fact there are alternatives is not a reason to remove something.

T said :

Is it just me or are jim jones and FC more about insulting people about their opinions that stating facts.. just a thought…

And just one point… what if you do bring water from home and drink it all but there is no where to refill? do we all get admitted to hopital from dehydration and make our emergency waiting times longer? also what if you weren’t at home the night before????

oh ffs. Suddenly society ceased to function before the advent of bottled water in the late 20th century.

Given that I just mentioned two other posters whom it was also about, how on earth does this make it ‘all about me’?

chewy14 said :

Jim Jones said :

the and preventing consumers from wasting lots of money (on a product which has a standard commercial markup of 4000%)

When did you become our accountant Jim?
Do you think you can get me a good tax refund this year?

The figure is available almost everywhere (including here: http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/10/the-bottled-water-myth/)

And yes, I could probably get you a very good tax refund.

Granny, let’s make this the very last time it’s all about you.

Thanks.

Thank you, Jim.

I’m not taking it as a personal attack, just something that makes life unnecessarily difficult when other more harmful culprits are overlooked and ignored.

Nobody has addressed why health-robbing beverages in identical packaging should not be targeted in favour of something that is both life-giving and health-building.

Hell, why not go back to using washboards because it’s better for the environment? How selfish of me to complain that this might make life more difficult! But I’ll get used to it, right?

In relation to FC, the fact is somebody who has no clue what it’s like to walk a mile in my shoes is telling me I’ll get used to an added burden that I really don’t want or need. So basically I’m feeling a whole lot less warm and fuzzy towards them right now.

People’s blind faith in administrators to consider issues of accessibility and equity frankly amazes me, and shows a paucity of experience in the circumstances.

But I think you’re awesome also, Jim Jones.

: )

Jim Jones said :

the and preventing consumers from wasting lots of money (on a product which has a standard commercial markup of 4000%)

When did you become our accountant Jim?
Do you think you can get me a good tax refund this year?

Is it just me or are jim jones and FC more about insulting people about their opinions that stating facts.. just a thought…

And just one point… what if you do bring water from home and drink it all but there is no where to refill? do we all get admitted to hopital from dehydration and make our emergency waiting times longer? also what if you weren’t at home the night before????

Granny said :

I am too angry to answer you now.

Perhaps you should consider the fact that those who are criticising the amount of bottled water that is sold are interested in reducing the negative environmental impact and preventing consumers from wasting lots of money (on a product which has a standard commercial markup of 4000%) rather than taking it as being some sort of personal attack on you. It’s not. As much as I think that you’re awesome, not everything is about you.

FC said :

Maybe the ban would only be for 600ml bottles of water and one could still buy larger ones. Who knows. I doubt it would be a decsiion that would be taken lightly, without all angles being looked at.

The 600 ml ones are the convenient size to carry around.

I am too angry to answer you now.

Granny – I got what you were saying. I am sure that all the issues would be addressed and solved if a ban were to seriosly be considered.

I would support a ban or some type of restriction MORE than I would support a lot of the people here’s poor excuses for why there shouldn’t be a ban.

I am struggling to think of how a person with a disability would be able to purchase a bottle of water, pay for that item and open/drink it, but then wouldn’t be able to use a tap or a fountain to fill up a water bottle.

I also imagine that for the few people it was really effect negatively (apart from just adjusting to change) there would be mechanisms in place for them.

Maybe the ban would only be for 600ml bottles of water and one could still buy larger ones. Who knows. I doubt it would be a decsiion that would be taken lightly, without all angles being looked at.

But I really don’t think it would be the catastrophe it is being made out to be. people would adjust and get on with life.

FC said :

Granny said, “FC, I hardly ever buy bottled water, but when I do I need it and I want it and I sure as hell want the option not to buy drinks loaded with sugar, if that is ok with you? ”
Granny, do what you like. I missed my post where I have said I wish to impose such a ban?

FC, I can only do what I like if some idiot doesn’t ban it.

All I am saying is that just because something doesn’t impact negatively on you doesn’t mean it doesn’t negatively impact on the lives of others such as Igglepiggle, Szeretta’s mother and myself. Let alone accessibility issues with bubblers for people with a disability.

Why on earth would you want to give them encouragement in this and strengthen any perception that it has community support?

Hells_Bells7410:43 am 16 Jul 09

housebound said :

It’s threads like this that make the riot act worth reading.

True dat!

My 2c – don’t buy it ever for myself but if they took it away I would have a lot of cranky friends. Would at least want to have chilled taps for refilling everywhere. Plus access to empty bottles for those who didn’t bring them.. Too much hassle!

I also had bad thoughts of the aqua-lung, blame my conspiracy thinking. Even that’s a little far out for me but it popped in anyhow.. *shrugs shoulders*

It’s threads like this that make the riot act worth reading.

knockknock-eggman10:14 am 16 Jul 09

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

regurgitating rubbish on repeat

I think most of you are arguing for the sake of arguing, you know exercise is great for releasing stress and your general well being.

Forum discussions such as this make me not want to read the-riotact at all

I-filed said :

You know how really awful dodgy water is not quite clear and produces some bubbles? My Canberra water is doing just that. I’m going to take an empty bottle to work tomorrow and fill up with filtered water. Anyone else getting dodgy water through the taps in the last few days? Seriously, it looks like semi-treated water.

is it clear? does it have a brown / green / horrible tinge to it? no? canberra water is far superior to any other in australia, barring the snow fields. try to drink water from adelaide, or kyneton springs in vic. (kyneton spring water is heavy with sulfur out of the spring, they purify it before bottling)

wonder how people would go having to drink tank water with a tannin tinge to it?

I’m with you Jim Jones. As a part of discussin the possible ban on the sale of bottled water in canberra would be a debate on the pros and cons of such an item.

From post #1 the focus has been on the pros and cons of bottled water – its impossible to discuss the possible ban without having a debate centred on these pros and cons.

Whatever.

Jim Jones said :

Apparently this thread isn’t about the pros and cons of manufacturing bottled water but is really a massive persecution of carers

Um it isn’t about the pros and cons of manufacturing bottled water.
Its about a possible ban on the sale of bottled water in Canberra.

FC said :

Granny said, “FC, I hardly ever buy bottled water, but when I do I need it and I want it and I sure as hell want the option not to buy drinks loaded with sugar, if that is ok with you? ”
Granny, do what you like. I missed my post where I have said I wish to impose such a ban?

Ditto.

Apparently this thread isn’t about the pros and cons of manufacturing bottled water but is really a massive persecution of carers

Granny said, “FC, I hardly ever buy bottled water, but when I do I need it and I want it and I sure as hell want the option not to buy drinks loaded with sugar, if that is ok with you? ”
Granny, do what you like. I missed my post where I have said I wish to impose such a ban?

well it pisses me off…..so he might have a point……

Sorry, Pandy, that theory just doesn’t hold water! Hehe!

dare2dream, you are just taking the piss out of us now.

If we ban bottled water we wont need as many public toilets which are few and far between as it is.

You know how really awful dodgy water is not quite clear and produces some bubbles? My Canberra water is doing just that. I’m going to take an empty bottle to work tomorrow and fill up with filtered water. Anyone else getting dodgy water through the taps in the last few days? Seriously, it looks like semi-treated water.

I demand the right to choose paper or plastic…

Ok so we ban bottled water. What happens if Sydney has another scare like they did in 1998. Remember that? The whole city had to use bottled water.

If there was readily available clean water taps around the place that had been maintained against vandalism, I’m sure most people would happily drink it (except the whingers). Given that there is practically no facilities like this around, banning bottled water would be crazy.

As for its use within Government departments, I’m yet to actually come across a Department which offers staff bottled water. Every one I’ve been to have filtered tap water, both hot and cold. I’m not sure about what lives in the Ministerial offices, but I think the Greens should have done more research before demanding the banning of something not even in place. Although why the Government as an employer cannot provide simple tea, coffee and milk to its staff is beyond me.

I tip the water out because it generally tastes like someone crapped in it anyway, re-fill it with Vodka, much nicer…………

WOuld be a good solution if they actually made the bottles out of a biodegradable material, and encouraged the recycling of them, but it might taint my Vodka…..

Has anyone tried undiluted Spring Water? You don’t every time you buy a bottle of spring water. The law allows it.

toriness said :

i’ve seen people pick their nose and wipe it on pedestrian crossing buttons before so for god’s sake don’t go touching them again either!! god knows what germs you’ll get that live for god knows how long. your immune system might have to actually do its job! imagine!

Would you drink out of toilet?

Deckard said :

miz said :

I understand Bundanoon are installing classy filtered water bubblers around the place – the bloke on the radio said they would not be the sort that bubbles onto itself (erk) but would send the water to one side.

After seeing what kids did to bubblers when I was growing up there is no way I will drink out of one that’s in a public place.

i’ve seen people pick their nose and wipe it on pedestrian crossing buttons before so for god’s sake don’t go touching them again either!! god knows what germs you’ll get that live for god knows how long. your immune system might have to actually do its job! imagine!

miz said :

I understand Bundanoon are installing classy filtered water bubblers around the place – the bloke on the radio said they would not be the sort that bubbles onto itself (erk) but would send the water to one side.

After seeing what kids did to bubblers when I was growing up there is no way I will drink out of one that’s in a public place.

Will they be accessible?

I understand Bundanoon are installing classy filtered water bubblers around the place – the bloke on the radio said they would not be the sort that bubbles onto itself (erk) but would send the water to one side.

Pelican Lini said :

No one spoke out when they came after the smokers.
Well welcome to the club bottled water drinkers – you are now targeted for ever expanding legislated crimes against the state.
20 bucks a bottle of water, anyone?
Who’s next?
Perhaps smokers and bottled water drinkers should join political forces (now, there’s a coalition).
Campaign slogan?
“Keep your hands off my butt/bot.”

Does that mean smokers won’t mind passively drinking the water I spray on them?

Public bubblers ? PUKE that was fine in primary school but I assume people who use these haven’t seen drunken fools pissing on them, or a junkie throwing up into a bubbler bay thinking it’s a bin. If you think this point is rubbish, have a stroll through civic on any given Saturday night and take a glimpse of the calibre of people walking about.

Exactly. I can’t recall the last time I saw a FUNCTIONING bubbler in a Canberra public space anyway. Do they still exist?

And +1 to the commenter who said QLD water tastes foul. Just spent $70 buying a filtered container thingy for the fridge…

Inappropriate said :

Granny said :

You don’t think I have enough stuff to lug around? Like I really need to have to lug a whopping bottle of water and icebrick everywhere I go. Like I need a freaking hole in the head.

Aww there there. It’s ok, we’ll put your needs before the needs of the many.

Nice guy.

If recycled tap water becomes a reality, I will want to be able to buy clean, bottled water (just in case!). But for now, some decent public bubblers would be good.

Inappropriate5:05 pm 15 Jul 09

Granny said :

You don’t think I have enough stuff to lug around? Like I really need to have to lug a whopping bottle of water and icebrick everywhere I go. Like I need a freaking hole in the head.

Aww there there. It’s ok, we’ll put your needs before the needs of the many.

Pelican Lini said :

No one spoke out when they came after the smokers.
Well welcome to the club bottled water drinkers – you are now targeted for ever expanding legislated crimes against the state.
20 bucks a bottle of water, anyone?
Who’s next?
Perhaps smokers and bottled water drinkers should join political forces (now, there’s a coalition).
Campaign slogan?
“Keep your hands off my butt/bot.”

Love it!

Pelican Lini4:37 pm 15 Jul 09

No one spoke out when they came after the smokers.
Well welcome to the club bottled water drinkers – you are now targeted for ever expanding legislated crimes against the state.
20 bucks a bottle of water, anyone?
Who’s next?
Perhaps smokers and bottled water drinkers should join political forces (now, there’s a coalition).
Campaign slogan?
“Keep your hands off my butt/bot.”

You don’t think I have enough stuff to lug around? Like I really need to have to lug a whopping bottle of water and icebrick everywhere I go. Like I need a freaking hole in the head.

What would you know, Jim Jones? Who do you care for?

Granny, even if bottle water were banned (which is never gonna happen) putting tap water into a bottle would hardly kill you.

Stop being so melodramatic.

Ok, I’m soft. But not having bottled water will make my life significantly harder in ways you can not begin to comprehend. Glad it doesn’t affect *you* though. Glad you’re alright.

Keep drinking your cola, juice and flavoured milk and feel virtuous and superior about how you’ve saved the planet from all us scummy bottled water users.

I personally think this may possibly be the stupidest initiative ever.

And those who criticise those who appreciate a bit of convenience will of course be happy to give up their cars, washing machines, etc.

I didn’t think so.

I’ve been places where having bottled water is the difference between having something safe to drink or being forced to drink poisoned groundwater/river water. In the old days, people would have just kept drinking (water), eventually got sick and maybe died.

Canberra is not one of those places, so bottled water is something we can live without.

Inappropriate said :

Good gawd. Listen to all the egocentric responses.

I should have bottled water because I’m too lazy to bring my own water, or I don’t like the taste of tap water?

Sheesh, how did these people survive before bottled water??

And I rather trucks waste petrol delivering goods that cannot be piped to the taps in my house.

Yeah people should stop wasting their money on bottled water.

Then they could buy more Plasma screen TV’s

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Sheesh, how did these people survive before bottled water??

They didn’t. People these days are soft.

+1

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:00 pm 15 Jul 09

Sheesh, how did these people survive before bottled water??

They didn’t. People these days are soft.

Inappropriate3:52 pm 15 Jul 09

Good gawd. Listen to all the egocentric responses.

I should have bottled water because I’m too lazy to bring my own water, or I don’t like the taste of tap water?

Sheesh, how did these people survive before bottled water??

And I rather trucks waste petrol delivering goods that cannot be piped to the taps in my house.

chewy14 said :

I don’t get it.
So Americans drink 5 billion bottles of water each year and only 38 million go to the tip.
That means the amount of bottles going to the tip is 0.076% of all bottled water amounts drunk.
So either Americans are recycling billions of bottles (which the 80% of Plastic bottles not recycled says they don’t) or they are reusing them and filling them with normal tap water.
Well whoda thunk it?[/quote>

Or they are being used for bongs. Someone needs to see if there is a collelation between these figures and the growth of two and inch hose bits being found in parks and gardens on the roadsides.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy3:43 pm 15 Jul 09

Why would you buy that nasty sugary water when you can buy diet water?

chewy14 said :

I don’t get it.
So Americans drink 5 billion bottles of water each year and only 38 million go to the tip.
That means the amount of bottles going to the tip is 0.076% of all bottled water amounts drunk.
So either Americans are recycling billions of bottles (which the 80% of Plastic bottles not recycled says they don’t) or they are reusing them and filling them with normal tap water.
Well whoda thunk it?

wait. What. oh.

heh. My math lesson hadn’t got that far…. 176 * 350,000,000ish yeah, I see that… Methinks astrojax used some bad stats…

Holden Caulfield3:31 pm 15 Jul 09

Devil_n_Disquiz said :

That said, I think EVIAN water was onto it from the start. Whats EVIAN backwards ??

They have the best bottles, though. Reality bites, I guess. 😉

harley said :

Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting
90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself
80% of plastic bottles are not recycled
38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda)
24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles
The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year
Bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply water
Bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the United States

I don’t get it.
So Americans drink 5 billion bottles of water each year and only 38 million go to the tip.
That means the amount of bottles going to the tip is 0.076% of all bottled water amounts drunk.
So either Americans are recycling billions of bottles (which the 80% of Plastic bottles not recycled says they don’t) or they are reusing them and filling them with normal tap water.
Well whoda thunk it?

And it’s all because you stick water in it! Damned water!

Devil_n_Disquiz3:13 pm 15 Jul 09

I am quite partial to PUMP with the infused flavours.

That said, I think EVIAN water was onto it from the start. Whats EVIAN backwards ??

Meh – Canberra water tastes really good and I try to remember to take water with me when we go places. But sometimes I forget (like at the movies the other day)and I prefer to buy water instead of sugary crap for my kids. Queensland water is hideous and I always buy water when I’m up there, because the tap water is just foul. Banning bottled water is really not solving the problem of non-biodegradable packaging.

yeah! I want a rocket launcher but I’m not allowed one. We should all be allowed to buy what ever we want, regardless of any consequences!

+1

astrojax said :

Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting
90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself
80% of plastic bottles are not recycled
38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda)
24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles
The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year
Bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply water
Bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the United States

At that rate 1,000,000,000 bottles is 26 year’s supply.

apples v apples == 912,000 gallons of oil are needed to produce 38 million plastic bottles every year.

Not that I’m saying it’s a good thing, but good to report the facts in a non sensationalist way.

A BILLION! OMG! th erth it wil asplode!

stonedwookie said :

ever heard of communism?
i should be able to buy what i feel like

yeah! I want a rocket launcher but I’m not allowed one. We should all be allowed to buy what ever we want, regardless of any consequences!

Good point toriness.

Although, if the ban on bottled water did go ahead in wider Australia, the immediate impact would be a massive spike in the sales of soft drinks, and a concommitant rise in the rates of obesity and general dental crappiness.

and all your children’s teeth will fall out because they aren’t getting the fluoride from tap water.

for what’s it’s worth i think buying bottled water is ridiculous – the water out of our taps is fine (in ACT anyway). but banning it completely is going a bit far as well – people should have the choice to buy it rather than something like coke.

i think it’s worthwhile pointing out that the bundanoon ban is a political act as well as environmental statement (well it is an 2 pronged environmental statement): “The catalyst for the ban is a proposal by Sydney company Norlex Holdings to build a water extraction plant in the town. It was initially turned down, but Norlex has appealed and the case is before the NSW Land and Environment Court.”

http://theland.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/bundanoon-in-bottled-water-ban/1562350.aspx

Jim Jones said :

So many people who simply can’t survive without bottled water.

You guys are all completely f^&cked when the zombie apocalypse happens.

+1

Jim Jones said :

Granny said :

My child with a disability can’t even drink from a bubbler.

Damn communists!

well they are communal bubblers, aren’t they?

Granny said :

My child with a disability can’t even drink from a bubbler.

Damn communists!

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy2:21 pm 15 Jul 09

How hard is this? Add 5 or 10 cents to the cost of all bottles, then set up a collection point where the 5 or 10 cents can be collected, much like Adelaide. As our middle class struggles to give their kids 20 playstations due to the GFC, kids will start collecting and returning the bottles.

My child with a disability can’t even drink from a bubbler.

I want to buy a dinosaur, but those damn communists wont let me.

stonedwookie said :

ever heard of communism?
i should be able to buy what i feel like

The proposed ban on plastic bottles is … a communist plot?

stonedwookie2:01 pm 15 Jul 09

ever heard of communism?
i should be able to buy what i feel like

So many people who simply can’t survive without bottled water.

You guys are all completely f^&cked when the zombie apocalypse happens.

knockknock-eggman1:56 pm 15 Jul 09

Shouldn’t we be encouraging a healthy option? So the next time out and about with my little niece and nephew on a hot day I have to feed them a sugar filled or aspartame option if I forgot to pack my esky full of ice cold drinks in my back pocket. Have you tried to get a kid to drink water from a container that’s been in a 40degree car all day?

It is my right to choose where, when and what I purchase and for what reason. Environmentally there is a problem with the plastic, put constraints on the bottling, don’t take away my choice and availability of cold crisp water. If I had a mechanism of having litres of consistently ice cold water on my person all day I wouldn’t purchase another ml. When I’m at work I am provided with chilled filtered water…because of the state of our kitchen facilities ironically I use an empty water bottle that I have previously bought as a container to drink out of =)

Public bubblers ? PUKE that was fine in primary school but I assume people who use these haven’t seen drunken fools pissing on them, or a junkie throwing up into a bubbler bay thinking it’s a bin. If you think this point is rubbish, have a stroll through civic on any given Saturday night and take a glimpse of the calibre of people walking about.

Fashion ? Im not sure who finds bottled water attractive…there’s nothing sexy anyone’s choice in water consumption or any bottle / label that I have seen. I am aware that some members of high society enjoy a fine mineral water etc…they tend to come in glass bottles not plastic and have subtle differences in flavour etc…they can be quite refreshing indeed. There IS an attraction to ice cold water compared to tap water that’s been in a container at the bottom of a bag or the floor of a car all day.

If bottled water is banned do you really think most people will start bringing water from home ? Or just buying a coke instead. And if they did Im sure a lot of them would use a PLASTIC sports bottle as a container..hmmm…..

I cant believe I wasted time writing this…Canberra forums are getting worse and worse.

FC said :

Chilled water – I’m not sure ( I can get it at my work, the gym, and my osteopaths) But I’m guessing that is something that would be looked at if a proposal of such a ban was actually seriously being considered.

FC, I hardly ever buy bottled water, but when I do I need it and I want it and I sure as hell want the option not to buy drinks loaded with sugar, if that is ok with you?

You *cannot* get water everywhere when you need it, and if you can you can’t always get it cold, or without bubblegum and tissue at the bottom of a bubbler.

And the reverse osmosis systems have been too expensive for us to buy for decades or we’d already have one. Tell it to the poor that all they need is a few hundred (or thousands as it used to be) dollars for a machine to remove the chemical additives from their water supply. It might seem cheap to you.

As a result of the fact that my tap water smells like a pool before I drink it, I drink a lot less water than I should. The chemical smell simply disgusts me.

Buy what you want and leave me to buy what I want. I, for one, can’t understand why they wouldn’t be targetting drinks that damage health if they want to reduce waste from packaging.

DarkLadyWolfMother1:50 pm 15 Jul 09

I’m another one who can’t get on with tap water – though I’ll drink it in Canberra if I have to – and it appears that when I travel too far from home (for example, Melbourne) my stomach rebells against the tap water there. So I either:
A) Filter my water at home and carry it with me, or
B) If I’ve run out of the home stuff, or don’t have it with me for some reason, I buy bottled water elsewhere. Where I can, I reuse the bottles until they leak, or at the very least recycle them.

I can’t help thinking that once again we’re looking at a legislative/technical solution for a social problem.

However, If the environmental impact of the bottles is so great, then reintroduce the 5 or 10 cents refund on them. Why not introduce it on all plastic bottles at the same time?

New, conveniently placed bubblers (that are maintained properly!) would be a good idea, and perhaps chilled/filtered water dispensers that (for a nominal fee) you can refill whatever bottle you have with you. If shops lose the ability to sell bottled water, I’m sure they’d like to get some of their revenue back from something like this.

while of course your mother has our sympathies, szeretetta, one wonders how neutropenics travelled a decade or more ago – with their own supplies, perhaps, of filtered water? or was her capacity (not ability) to travel so impaired prior to the revolution in bottled water?

My mother in law is severely neutropenic – she has a almost none of a type of white blood cell that is the primary defence against infections. In other words, she’s at risk of catching anything and everything that’s going around.

As a result of this, she’s on a special diet, and is only allowed to drink bottled water. Bans of bottled water are going to limit her ability to travel, and that of other people with similar conditions…

Unfortunate, but true.

speaking as one from adelaide, where bottled water is preferred from the “water” out of the tap, the recycling of containers has a marked effect on the mess left at sportsgrounds and other events. Kids clean up on the bottles and cans.

In canberra, a similar scheme for recycling might well improve the numbers of bottles and cans being recycled.

The water in canberra is far superior to anywhere else i have lived, I don’t buy bottled water, and i often use a sports container with water in summer. I also bottle up a couple of litres for when i go back home to visit.

re the use of bottled water for babies, we used boiled, chilled tap water, and my kids turned out ok…

I buy it when I’m out with Master Igglepiggle, aged 3, and he gets thirsty and there’s no working, clean bubbler available. Much better than getting him a coke or a juice I reckon. And yes, I probably should be a better organised mummy and bring it from home with me, but if I carried everything he, and Miss Igglepiggle, aged 3 weeks needs while we are out, I might just have to start attaching a trailer to the pram!

FC said :

johnboy said :

How does bottled water differ from every other packaged product on the shelf?

You can’t get coke from bubbler or a tap.

I don’t think I have seen a working bubbler where you can get water from in years.

I buy a bottle of water then refill it until it needs replacing.
I prefer those bottles to the more sturdy water bottles that you can get.

chewy14 said :

astrojax said :

Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting
90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself
80% of plastic bottles are not recycled
38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda)
24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles
The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year
Bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply water
Bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the United States

That research would be useful if they were suggesting a ban of all plastic bottles and not just bottled water. Whose to say the people currently drinking bottled water will not just switch to another form of bottled drink?

if you read the dot points, it notes for one ‘167 bottles of water per american’ – at about 300 million yanks, that’s somewhere near five billion bottles of water; many of the other points talk specifically to bottled water, so i can’t quite see the point…

and bundanoon’s ace is not simply banning bottled water but encouraging water consumption in re-useable healthier containers, so deliberately keeping consumers away from other beverages…

Holden Caulfield12:51 pm 15 Jul 09

Like p1 I reuse the placcy bottles, too. Can we both have two gold stars?

I’m not in favour of banning bottled water.

That said – I’m damn sure the reason that bottled water was marketed wasn’t because the bubblers were all broken.

Holden Caulfield12:49 pm 15 Jul 09

FC said :

Chilled water – I’m not sure ( I can get it at my work, the gym, and my osteopaths) But I’m guessing that is something that would be looked at if a proposal of such a ban was actually seriously being considered.

I’m quite partial to a walk now and then and like to take some water with me. Under this new regime can I expect to have chilled water bubblers, say, every 500m or could I get permission from the naysayers to carry my drink in a watertight container that is light and convenient like, gee, I dunno, a plastic bottle?

If recycling of bottles is the major concern here, are we seriously expected to believe that a person who does not recycle a plastic water bottle diligently recycles all other recyclable materials?

Sounds to me like it’s a usual case of an apathetic general public over and above any distinct issues with bottled water.

Oh, taking a step back a bit, I do agree that the price of bottled water is a bit daft, but I’m not going to drink Coke or something else I don’t like just because of that. Where possible I will bring my own chilled tap water, but obviously, this isn’t always an option.

I even recycle my old plastic bottles when I’m finished with them. Can I please have a gold star!

Madame Workalot12:45 pm 15 Jul 09

*should

Honestly, 10 years ago, if someone had told me that there’d be a huge market for bottled water, I would have thought they were stupid.

10 years ago there were bubblers everywhere and idiots that broke them nowhere..

Implement and test the solution befor banning the problem.

I recently bought a fridge that filters and chills the water from the mains.

When I do buy bottled water, it is specifically because I don’t have access to cold water &/or a bottle to take it in. 9 times out of 10 I then use that bottle many more times over the following weeks until it becomes worn too much to use (or someone helpfully throws it out because it is empty…).

Madame Workalot12:39 pm 15 Jul 09

We shold be allowed to have a taste preference for water, the same as all other beverages. I don’t drink soft drink or the like, so when I go to a restaurant or something I always order a bottle of water. Not because it’s fashionable, but because I can’t stand the taste of tap water (I didn’t grow up on it, and haven’t been able to adjust to the taste).

But sure, feel free to go buy your lift, coke, sprite, whatever – as long as I’m drinking your chemical-polluted water out of the bubbler the drunk teenagers pissed on last night….

Chilled water – I’m not sure ( I can get it at my work, the gym, and my osteopaths) But I’m guessing that is something that would be looked at if a proposal of such a ban was actually seriously being considered.

Holden Caulfield12:34 pm 15 Jul 09

FC said :

the banning of all bottled drinks is another issue entirely, and not what this debate is about.
A big point in all this is that bottled water is pointless, when you can get it from the tap, from the springs, or from a bubbler.
This is not the case with other bottled drinks.

Where can one get chilled water from in a public place if not from a shop or supermarket?

Holden Caulfield12:32 pm 15 Jul 09

chewy14, you’re not listening are you, haha, only bottled water is bad, m’kay.

Anything else in a plastic bottle is the environmental equal to chirping birds on a summer’s day. Nothing to see here.

Maybe I have under developed taste buds, but I can’t taste the difference between Canberra’s tap water and bottled water.

Biggest marketing scam of all time, I reckon. I don’t think it should be banned though.

the banning of all bottled drinks is another issue entirely, and not what this debate is about.
A big point in all this is that bottled water is pointless, when you can get it from the tap, from the springs, or from a bubbler.
This is not the case with other bottled drinks.

astrojax said :

Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting
90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself
80% of plastic bottles are not recycled
38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda)
24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles
The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year
Bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply water
Bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the United States

That research would be useful if they were suggesting a ban of all plastic bottles and not just bottled water. Whose to say the people currently drinking bottled water will not just switch to another form of bottled drink?

chewy14 said :

Has any actual research been done that shows this measure will have any positive effect on the environment?
Or is the result meant to be that we can all share the feeling of environmental moral superiority the proponents of such a scheme always have?

well yes. a quick google search for instance will show up a swag of sites with information; and while i understand this is from a US site, a) it is still a good guide for australian use, and b) if a groundswell of support for banning water in plastic bottles were to affect US’s mentality too, this is the range of figures we’d be effecting:

Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting
90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself
80% of plastic bottles are not recycled
38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda)
24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles
The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year
Bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply water
Bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the United States

Holden Caulfield12:18 pm 15 Jul 09

Morgan said :

Personally I dont buy water for the spring part, but that I am thristy and prefer water to quench my thirst, if there were clean alternatives such as public bubblers that were cleaned regularly, or the dispensers that Manly Council have there would be a lot less demand from consumers for this product. I for one would buy Actew water in a bottle if it came from a fridge.

x2

On a warm day, or any day actually, if I am thirsty I would prefer a cold water than any other commercially available drink. I certainly don’t buy bottled water because I think it is fashionable.

I like chilled water. There, I said it. Best burn me at the stake!

Oooooh, the chemicals leak from the bottle into the water and we’re all going to die. Erm, are we to believe these nasty chemicals only leak into water and not every other drink that is sold in plastic bottles.

LlamaFrog said :

I buy bottled water, i go through prob 2 bottles a day. my choice.

hahaha.

I buy bottled water, i go through prob 2 bottles a day. my choice.

someoneincanb12:07 pm 15 Jul 09

Jim Jones said :

That said, you can’t legislate against stupidity. An awareness program about the environmental impact of pointless water buying is a good idea though.

It’s not always stupid to buy bottled water. It tastes different to tap water – is it stupid to have a preference based on taste? Some people are sensitive to chemicals in tap water. Also, many organisations (eg ADA, CDC) currently recommend that infant formula be mixed with bottled water to prevent the risk of excessive doses of fluoride. I was under the impression you need a fairly expensive filtration system to remove fluoride from water.

Hope the awareness program would cover the environmental impact of purchasing any bottled product.

Has any actual research been done that shows this measure will have any positive effect on the environment?
Or is the result meant to be that we can all share the feeling of environmental moral superiority the proponents of such a scheme always have?

Anyone jumping on this particular Band Wagon needs to take a long hard look at their priorities in life.

If you don’t agree with bottled water don’t buy it or don’t drink it – simple and if the greens REALLY want to do something useful introduce a 10c recycle scheme along the lines of the SA one. Then again the chances of the Greens doing anything really useful in this town appear to get fainter with every passing day.

Nexus6 – I’m pretty sure that cold water would be provided for..
On a seperate (but related) pet peeve.
I hate having to pay $6 for a 250ml bottle of water in a night club, or choose to drink warm water. It really annoys me!! grr
Bring back the days where they would re fill your bottle for you.

You’ve got to be a bit dense not to take a bottle of water for you if you’re going for a bike ride in the summertime.

Honestly, 10 years ago, if someone had told me that there’d be a huge market for bottled water, I would have thought they were stupid.

But here we are. Just goes to show, a company can take something that is essentially free, whack it in a fancy bottle and market it, and then sell it at 4000% markup, and people will buy it. They’ll fall over themselves to shove money in your pockets, all the while deluding themselves that ‘it tastes different’ (it really is just tap water in a plastic bottle, if it tastes differently it’s because petrochemicals have leached into the water from the bottle). Just goes to show how stupid most consumers are, really.

That said, you can’t legislate against stupidity. An awareness program about the environmental impact of pointless water buying is a good idea though.

cant wait for the middle of summer, go for a bike ride or something, decide to stop and buy a cold drink and be forced to drink softdrink. what a load of crap. stopping people buying a healthy product? if you dont like it dont freekin buy it!

Good thinking Madame, beat me to it.

Madame workalot.
The difference in taste is probably due to things like fluoride and chlorine in tap water.
People can purchase filters at a relatively cheap cost to get rid of these things.
Of they are a regular purchaser of bottled water, they would have payed off their filter system with the amount they used to buy water for, quite quickly.

So there would still be a choice.
And I’m guessing you would also still be able to buy those big bottles of water that people deliver to workplaces.

Morgan said :

johnboy said :

How does bottled water differ from every other packaged product on the shelf?

Water from the tap is a perfectly good product, Soft drinks, beer, and french champaigne arent’t piped to your house for $500 per annum.

When an alternative like tap water exists it seems more wasteful to buy it in bottles.

Well then we should ban Coke but allow Homebrand Cola. I mean homebrand cola is a perfectly good product.

Madame Workalot11:22 am 15 Jul 09

Morgan said :

johnboy said :

How does bottled water differ from every other packaged product on the shelf?

Water from the tap is a perfectly good product, Soft drinks, beer, and french champaigne arent’t piped to your house for $500 per annum.

When an alternative like tap water exists it seems more wasteful to buy it in bottles.

While that may be true, water from the tap has a completely different taste. Why shouldn’t we have the choice to buy water that tastes better than free water? It’s almost like choosing between homebrand cola and coke – do you think that we should only ever have one choice?

“If it’s an environmental problem, then why are we not tackling all bottled drinks?”
Because they’re choosing to tackle the bottled water issue..

johnboy said :

How does bottled water differ from every other packaged product on the shelf?

Water from the tap is a perfectly good product, Soft drinks, beer, and french champaigne arent’t piped to your house for $500 per annum.

When an alternative like tap water exists it seems more wasteful to buy it in bottles.

johnboy said :

How does bottled water differ from every other packaged product on the shelf?

You can’t get coke from bubbler or a tap.

The idea of banning bottled water is stupid. If it’s an environmental problem, then why are we not tackling all bottled drinks? South Australia’s container deposit scheme causes increased rates of recycling according to 666 this morning. So I think there’s merit in that.

At least water is a healthy choice sitting next to all sorts of sugar filled nasties.

I am from Bundanoon orginally, and I do feel a little bit proud that we made it to world news status for something other than someone killing themselves in the adjoining National Park.

Choice is a very important thing, and in this case it will be Bundanoon businesses that will be imposing the ban on the sale of bottled water. No one will be lynched for getting out of their car with a water bottle.

Personally I dont buy water for the spring part, but that I am thristy and prefer water to quench my thirst, if there were clean alternatives such as public bubblers that were cleaned regularly, or the dispensers that Manly Council have there would be a lot less demand from consumers for this product. I for one would buy Actew water in a bottle if it came from a fridge.

How does bottled water differ from every other packaged product on the shelf?

I don’t really think the choices on the voting are sufficent.
Isn’t the initial ban to do with the environmental impact of bottled water rather than dollars being poorly spent.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.