Should we ban bottled water?

Headed for the land fill

I must confess, I like bottled water. Mind you, I rarely get the kind in plastic bottles. I like Perrier in glass bottles. It's what I drink instead of soda. But I occasionally get the kind in plastic bottles for taking with me in the car on hot days and we keep them on hand at the Center for when a private client wants some water.

I have, however, thought about the land fills with some concern. And now I read an article called "San Francisco says no to bottled water" and it makes me think. Here's an excerpt:

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Is city water better than bottled water? Mayor Gavin Newsom thinks so.

Newsom has issued an executive order banning city departments from buying bottled water, even for water coolers. The ban goes into effect July 1, and will extend to water coolers by December 1.

The move was billed as a way to help stem global warming and save taxpayer money.

"We're hoping to set the example for the private sector and other cities in getting off the bottle," said Tony Winnicker, spokesman for the San Francisco public utilities commission.

In a press release announcing the decision, the mayor cited the environmental impact of making, transporting and disposing of the bottles. More than a billion of them end up in the state's landfills each year, the release said.

I have read that tap water is perfectly safe. Of course, it's the taste that I'm going for.

There are dispensers of purified water around town and you can reuse your plastic containers when you fill up regularly. That's certainly an alternative. I suppose we could keep a gallon of that in the Center refrigerator instead of the individual bottles.