It’s day three of the zero waste challenge! The beginning of the challenge focuses on simple swaps. We’re currently addressing the big four.
These are four items that create a lot of waste that’s fairly easy to avoid. Today, I challenge you to bring a reusable water bottle with you, everywhere you go.
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the problem:
Every day in the United States, 50 million plastic bottles are landfilled. Talk about a lot of waste!
You might be wondering why we’re landfilling these bottles and why we’re not recycling them. Recycling is great and a good place to start (we’ll cover it later on in the challenge), but it is not the answer.
Did you know plastic only has a 9 percent recycle rate? That’s about to drop even lower because China has put a ban on plastic imports from the United States for recycling.
But what you can do today to help prevent that is just simply bring your own water bottle.
There are so many different kinds of water bottles on the market nowadays. From glass to stainless steel, you have a lot of options to choose from.
Here are some perks of each kind of reusable water bottle to consider:
Glass: Easy to recycle, beautiful, keeps the item being stored tasting the way it should, can make your own from an empty glass jar.
Stainless steel: Easy to recycle, keeps water cold for hours, so many great appealing designs, durable.
Plastic: Usually comes with a built-in filter system, lightweight and easy to carry, won’t break if you drop it.
Each water bottle is different, so keep that in mind when making your choice on which to buy.
Some overall good brands to consider are: Klean Kanteen, Swell (stainless steel), Life Factory (glass), and Bobble (plastic). They each make different kinds of reusable water bottles from different materials, but they’ll all get the job done.
Worried once you get a reusable water bottle you won’t use it?
make it a mantra:
This is how I always remember to bring my water bottle with me: Before I leave the house, I ask myself ‘phone, wallet, WATER, keys’. So I just throw water in the mix to that little mantra most people ask themselves before leaving the house. That way, I remember to bring my water bottle with me.
Leave it in your car, carry it in your hand, or plop it into your bag. Whatever works best for you, just as long as you have it within reach.
get a filter:
Most places in the United States have drinkable tap water. I know not everywhere does but most do.
If you can’t stand the taste of your tap water, think about investing in a water filter. You can typically buy them pretty inexpensively.
Kishu stick is one amazing way to filter water without plastic (and my personal favorite). They last a really long time. It says they only last three to four months online but I think as long as you’re taking care of them, they’ll last much longer.
I’ve had mine for over a year and it works just fine. I simply place it in a pot of boiling water every two to three months to release all of the toxins and then I put it back in the bottle to keep filtering.
Activated charcoal naturally bonds with toxins. This is a good thing! It means it absorbs and removes mercury, chlorine, copper and even lead from your water.
At the end of its life, you can compost it or use it as a deodorizer. Add it to your compost, bury it in your plant bed, or use it to deodorize your fridge.
keep it stocked:
If you’re always running short on time and don’t want to go hunting for your bottle and fill it with filtered water before leaving the house, get a set of bottles for your fridge. Fill them with tap water at the beginning of the week so you can grab a bottle and be out the door in a flash!
take the challenge:
I challenge you to not buy or use a single-use plastic water bottle until Feb.
Practice the mantra, and get creative! If you’re thirsty, is there a water fountain near by? Is there a cup you can get out of the kitchen? Can you drink the tap water instead of getting a bottle at the restaurant?
want more?
Just starting out? Have 1,000 burning questions!? Get access to my private Facebook group, where I’ll be hosting weekly lives throughout the challenge and I answer all of your most pressing questions.
I’m the head content creator over at pelacase.com and have partnered with them to create an email version of the challenge. I will be sending out weekly recap letters with Pela if you’d prefer to have this challenge in larger chunks and delivered straight to your inbox.
PLUS! I’ll be sending out a brand new e-book at the end of the challenge called the Game On Handbook. Which is all about individual ways to fight climate change. You don’t want to miss it.
