In college one item that I feel like ends up in the trash the most is cups, whether that be plastic water bottles, coffee cups, or red solo cups at parties. Whenever I walk into a classroom, almost every single person has water or coffee on their desk. I would say that a good majority of these bottles are reusable but I still see people carrying large cases of water bottles into their dorms on a daily basis. Although these cases of water are cheap and convenient, you're wasting your money and producing unnecessary trash. Five dollars a week on bottled water makes no sense when you could spend five dollars for a water bottle you can use for months, not to mention the amount of waste that you are putting into landfills because news flash most colleges don't actually recycle even if they have bins.
If plastic bottles are something that you use on a daily or weekly basis, changing your consumption of just this one product can make a huge impact on how you affect the environment. It's so important to notice and make these small little changes in your life to slowly make your way to a more sustainable lifestyle.
When making a switch like this it is all about making it convenient for yourself to switch. Naturally we do what is most convenient for the majority of small decisions because if we thought through every one of these small choices, like whether to use a reusable water bottle or not, quite frankly we'd be drained all of the time. If you make it convenient to switch, you are more likely to follow through and maintain the habit. The reason that you are probably using plastic water bottles is because you forget about your refillable bottles, don't have one, or you hate tap water. However, all of these factors can be changed and you too can say no to plastic water bottles forever.
So what should you do if you're forgetting your refillable bottles? Put it somewhere that makes it easy for you! I always place my water bottle near or in my bag for the day. When I go to bed at night and am done with my water bottle I place it next to my bag for the next day. You could do the same thing with putting it next to your keys, at the door, or anywhere you are going to remember it. Additionally, you can keep two refillable bottles and keep them where you would need them. For example, work and your home or your car and your dorm. Wherever is going to make it the easiest for you is the right place.
Scared of your campus's tap water? Get yourself a Brita or PUR water bottle or water filter. In my dorm we purchased the attachment for our faucet so that we always have clean water. It works great and we only have to replace it every few months. Although the filters do create waste, you are actually able to recycle these for free through a Terracycle partnership. All you need is a box. Collect the filters, packaging, and even pitchers, place them into a box, and print off a free shipping label. Want to learn more? If you have a Brita visit here. If you have PUR visit here.
Don't have a reusable water bottle yet? When selecting a cup pick one that you like. Pick the one that genuinely makes you happy and that you are going to use. Yes, its great if it's BPA free and made of glass instead of plastic but it's about being sustainable to your lifestyle. If you're clumsy and get a glass water bottle and break it and end up going back to using plastic water bottles that defeated the point. Just make sure that whatever you select fits your lifestyle.
Do you use a reusable bottle? If not, what's stopping you from the switch?
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