Liquid Smokes: Bottled Water the new Cigarettes?

Back in the 1990s, someone got the idea to take a product we get for almost free out of our taps and then packaged it for sale on grocery shelves. The water was significantly more expensive than tap water but it was great in a pinch when you were on the go and needed a swish of the elixir of life. We bought into it, big time. I've been drinking it for years. This is mostly due to the poor quality of Milton tap water, which has developed a swimming pool flavour due to the overuse of chlorine at the town's groundwater reservoirs. We actually had ours tested by the Region to prove it. Since then, bottled water has become public enemy number one for environmentalists. Many conservative news outlets have referred to it as being the new cigarettes. Does bottled water cause cancer? Well, it depends on who you ask. Does it bother other people? Same answer. A lot of the eco-nutters have viewed the drinking of bottled water in North America as a decadent activity. More recently, however, its not the water itself that has come under attack but rather what contains it. Namely those plastic PETE bottles.

Plastic was once considered a miracle product. Its stronger than glass, cheaper than metal, and can be moulded into any shape you want. The problem with plastic is that its not biodegradable and that its produced from oil. As such, it has recently been labelled a major danger to the environment. Other reports have come out recently that the plastics used in some water bottles may leach carcinogenic chemicals into your drink. Thus it's not surprising that they have become equated with cigarettes. Some environmentalists have suggested demonizing people who drink bottled water in the same way as we demonized smokers. Others want bottled water banned outright. In London Ontario, the city has decided to ban bottled water from vending machines and concession stands at all city owned properties. Toronto is currently mulling over the idea and premier Dalton McGuinty has suggested following London's lead by taking the ban province wide. McGuinty and Miller are no strangers to the ban. Perfectly safe pesticides have been banned in Toronto for a couple of years now and a province wide ban of the same chemicals will go into effect next year. These bans get put into place for a couple of reasons. First off, its politicians bending to the will of whatever happens to be politically correct at the time. Secondly, politicians like to abuse their banning powers to get rid of things they personally don't like.

Of course, there as an a major case of irony with the proposed bottled water bans. Plastic is a fully recyclable product. In fact, Canadians are known for recycling more used water bottles than our European counterparts by a significant amount. I believe it's around 75% for us and less than 66% for Europe. This goes against the banners' reasoning that Canadians are sending tons of used water bottles to the dump. Canadians are recycling. Another question to ask is why are environmentalists only going after bottled water when other beverages such as soft drinks come in the same kind of plastic bottle? The bans are taking away a healthy drink like water yet they are leaving unhealthy, sugary pops in the vending machines untouched. Wasn't our society nuts about the obesity crisis just last month? When you actually start to pick apart these bans, you quickly realize how ludicrous they are. Rather than banning water, they should be encouraging people to recycle their used bottles. How many times have you seen a recycling bin at a municipal park or building?