Perhaps even more disturbing, here in Australia at least, is the fact that the bottled water is often no better at all than the local tap water, and that the same multinational companies that sell the soft drinks also sell the bottled water, ripping it out of the ground under license or not and in places significantly affecting the local ecology.

We filter our well water and drink it, my main drink. However, I drink coffee, tea, juice, almond milk, and rarely something else.

Whats sad is the plastic left behind.

Capitalism pollutes our water then charges us for clean water.

Of course bottled water is highly consumed, the stuff that comes out of the facet is poisonous (reminder the Flint still doesn’t have clean water).

I don't buy water in plastic bottles... but then, I don't have any use for water as I only drink wine

Anything in a plastic bottle is disturbing. Recycling is becoming overburdened and the Chinese market for our recyclables is drying up. We really are a wasteful people.

It's stunning to me that, even with all we know about plastic pollution and waste, people still buy bottled water. Should be illegal except in cases of urgent need.

I know this is true and find the basic fact disturbing. When my late partner's daughter would visit us both in Seattle and on island she would buy a case of bottled water. Seattle has some of the best and cleanest water in the country ( [seattle.gov] watch the slide show). Better yet

Thought in Oz beer was ?   Lol The offerings of sugary drinks is problem world wide. here in SA we now have the first sugar tax and it hits people like coke big time. We also learned to use 25 ltr of water per day per person because of the drought. Humans in 1st world countries like America waste a lot of water !

I try to avoid using uneccesary plastic at all costs! My Brita water pitcher gets a good workout daily.

Many of the bottling companies have been found to be bottling water from the same source as homes. They filter it (maybe),  then bottle it, and  sell it to those foolish enough to believe it's "better",  or more pure somehow.    Then there's the other companies that are pumping down aquifers worldwide ,  as much as they want - all for the price of an occasional pumping permit.  And people pay stupid prices for the privilege of drinking it out of plastic-damn-bottles !  

Coke & other hydration companies are pumping the ground water out of the aquifer in Michigan. Resulting in huge profits for the poor overly taxed multi billion dollar corporations & sink holes developing where there should be none. All at tax payers expense as we learn to purchase water instead of demanding clean water for all via our government.

While watering the garden yesterday I had a drink out of the hose which is from my well, still alive this morning. This is what Canadians drink, you just drive right up and get some Tims, too bad they don't serve beer .

I remember when water was something that you drank from the tap. Very sad!

Yeah then they throw the bottles in a land fill and wonder why plastic is a problem.

I don't understand the bottled water craze when my taps full of the stuff.

Several years ago I bought an under sink reverse osmosis system. Easy to install, very affordable to buy, "less than $200 ", and the water quality is great.

I still drink tap water.

It's not just Flint that has contaminated water. Many cities in Michigan have a lead issue. Not to mention hundreds of cities across the United States. Jordan Chariton always does a lot of reporting on this issue. It's pretty horrifying. I can't blame people for wanting to buy bottled water.

We are the last generation to have safely drank from streams (Rocky Mtns). Then giardia came and the glacier feeding Boulder had to be chemicalized. Control the water, control the masses.

I never drink soda and haven't for years. Almost no bottled water, usually tap. I will sometimes buy mineral or carbonated water.

Don't know about your water Rugglesby, but ours has the nice of flavour of chemicals in it which I can do without, so for drinking I use the spring stuff. Buying by the bottle is just crazy expensive. Never touch coke, both the illegal white powder type, or the sugary poison sold in bottles. I'm an iced tea guy. Make it myself, real healthy like. Delighted to share these tid bits of information with you (probably to put you to sleep.)

The greatest consumption of anything here in the USA isn't of what comes out of faucets OR bottles. It is consumption of the toxic products of television; 'news' in particular. Our whole population is afflicted with Bovis Scatagenetic Syndrome. It is a form of acquired immune deficiency of the ability to reason. Theological fanaticism and Social Democrat Fantasyism are its most lethal and terminal stages.

I have a filtered container in my fridge. There is most definitely a difference in the amount of metals in unfiltered water as opposed to the water from the filters I use. I have a metal detecting pen and the ppm is much higher and less safe in unfiltered tap water whereas newly filtered water reads 000 ppm. I buy enough filters for a little bit over a year for about $100. Bottled water would cost much more and I don't know the source of that water or if they are just giving us marketing fluff about it being "pure" etc. I get kidney stones and I am not willing to roll the dice on unfiltered water damaging my kidneys any more.