Spring water coolers: What's the big deal? Well this!
A water cooler in the office
An office water cooler was always a bottled water cooler. Now, while millions of people are still addicted to the plastic water, we see the same gloomy reports everywhere: plastic water bottles are not good for you and for the environment. The spring water cooler is no exception in this story.
For several reasons, it is personally unhealthy and harmful to the environment to drink water from disposable plastic bottles or spring water coolers. The spring water cooler seems very convenient in itself. But in practice, it is not. Who changes the container? Where do you store the plastic bottles? Who replenishes it? In this blog, we explain why bottled water coolers are not good for you.
Emergence of spring water coolers
Drinking water from plastic water bottles and bottled water coolers became hugely popular for two reasons. The first reason is that Marketers convinced everyone that water would be better, cleaner and healthier. The second reason the convenience of office spring water in large plastic container bottles. Either the plastic spring water bottle became immensely popular and the spring water cooler was a welcome godsend with gallons of spring water at your disposal in the office.
Plastic is bad for your
A spring water cooler has one of those recognizable blue plastic containers. This one cannot be missed. If your personal health is dear to you, don't drink from this. Water is often bottled in PET bottles (polyethylene terephthalate), which can leak various toxins, such as BPA or DEHA (a known carcinogen). So in general, it's better to avoid water from plastic bottles.
Can you reuse your spring water cooler?
Experts agree that it's best not to reuse plastic bottles. The plastics in plastic contain bisphenol A (BPA), which is suspected to cause neurological and behavioral problems in fetuses and children. BPA mimics the female hormone estrogen, which can have harmful effects. Like the spring water bottle, you can't actually use the plastic container in the spring water cooler more than once. Many people use their plastic bottle a number of times. That in itself sounds good, because that way you extend the life of a plastic bottle. But then, is all plastic bad for you? In the next section, we explain that there are also safe types of plastic.
What type of plastic is safe
It also pays to find out what type of plastic the container or water bottle is made of. When you taste plastic, you drink it. So it is good to know exactly what you are drinking and whether it is safe.
To make sure there is a safe bottle on the cooler, check the recycling symbol on the bottle. If it is a #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene) or a #5 PP (polypropylene), then the bottle is fine. If the bottle type has a #1, then it is suitable for single use. It is better not to refill or reuse these.
Source water coolers are also waste
They claim that a source water cooler contains purer or cleaner water than tap water, but this is just a marketing gimmick. Regardless of whether safe plastic has been used or not, in the Netherlands there are stricter rules for tap water than for spring water. Therefore, tap water is also tested more often. And since much of the bottled water comes from municipal tap water, it is a waste of resources, money and means to purchase or maintain a bottled water cooler.
To produce the plastic container, a lot of fossil fuels must be used. Because the base of plastic is crude oil, the production of water bottles contributes to about 2.5% of global oil production. In addition, a huge amount of energy is wasted in transporting bottled water. So a spring water cooler consists largely of waste. How does that affect the environment?
Environmental impact of spring water coolers
Another factor to consider for abandoning a spring water cooler is plastic waste. This is because it is not biodegradable. Plastic waste often ends up in landfills and in our waterways, and it has a devastating effect on marine life. In landfills, plastic bottles and containers leak toxins. These could get back into groundwater. Also, burning plastic is not a real option. Burning releases toxins into the air. So the production and transportation of plastic spring water containers has a huge negative impact on the environment.
Why not a spring water cooler?
Actually, it's very simple. As with spring water bottles, the spring water cooler is not good for the environment. Plastic is hardly recycled, if at all. Companies say they do, but in fact that is downcycling. This is because the quality of the plastic degrades when it is reused until you can no longer use it. So you can't recycle plastic containers and bottles indefinitely. Besides using a lot of energy and fossil fuels, it also involves all kinds of toxins. Plastic does not break down in nature. The toxins leak the environment and animals eat the plastic even though they cannot digest it. As a result, many animals end up dying as a result of plastic. And if they don't die, then there's a chance they'll end up on our plates with all the plastic in their system. Not a nice idea.
Water cooleron the water line is the best choice
There is no good reason to have a plastic spring water cooler in the office anymore. A tap water cooler is a better choice. Our water cooler is made from wood and leftover wood that would otherwise serve no purpose. In addition, tap water is healthier and more environmentally friendly than well water. We have both a freestanding tap water cooler and a tabletop water cooler.
