i wasn't into soft drinks ever, & the only times i find it hard to get around buying endless supplies of bottled water is when traveling india e.g. but even in the south of india taps with free filtered water pop up meanwhile in some parts, yet slowly.

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.

The coke - there is so much sugar!!

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

On the plus side, it's not coca cola or some beer!

PS: People, Patrick has been eating a lot of plastic these days. Please stop!

Diet Coke used to "ring my bell" especially when it was ice cold. However, either my taster has changed or they altered the formula (a relative says they recently changed sweeteners), along with the label, because it no longer tastes like it did. But, I am not about to switch to bottled water.

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

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 !  

I still drink tap water.

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.

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.

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

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.

Something that intrigues me about water- it has been floating about the planet for possibly billions of years, yet as soon as you stick it in a bottle, it needs a use-by date- wtf?

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.

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 .

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

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

Don't get the bottled water deal. I filter mine and keep it in the refrigerator. I have bottles in the fridge that I've re-purposed if I feel the need to take water out of the house.

Bottled water, to me, is all about marketing. That somehow water in a bottle is healthier, better, smarter, whatever. Some have names on the bottles that give the impression that the water is from someplace special, like a spring or a mountain stream. Those things mean the water came from the ground, like all water does.

Picked up a bottle of water one day and read the label. It said "Ft. Worth municipal water supply". That's "Ft. Worth" as in "Ft Worth Texas". Tap water from Ft. Worth, which is about 90 miles from my house. Why would I buy tap water when I pay for water to be run to my house and I pay by the month? Don't like the taste? Use a filter. Either on the faucet of by using a filtered pitcher. Put it in your own bottle if you must. Why pay more?

Whats sad is the plastic left behind.

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.)