Disposable vs Reusable: Water Bottles and Travel Cups
Single-use items are popular because they’re an easy and fast solution for daily activities.
Do you want a coffee?
You can get one in a plastic cup.
Are you thirsty?
You can buy a plastic water bottle.
These disposable options are useful if you’re on the go, but what about the environment?
One plastic cup can seem harmless, but do you throw away just one throughout the year?
If the answer is no, then you probably discard lots of them.
Let’s discuss why using a reusable travel mug and a water bottle is better than discarding several single-use plastics!
The Problems with Plastic Bottles
Even though buying plastic water bottles can be a practical option to stay hydrated, they’re problematic for the environment, your health and your wallet!
If you think you’re being eco-friendly by putting them in the recycling bin, there’s bad news for you.
Most of these bottles won’t get recycled!
They will probably end up polluting the environment, one way or another.
What’s worse, they could affect innocent animals! Also, they’re not the healthiest option for you.
Bottled water usually has the same quality as tap water, but it comes with a few unwanted extras. In particular, microplastics and toxins!
On the other hand, they’re not as cheap as you think. You can’t refill plastic water bottles.
So, you will need to buy a new one the next time and spend money in a plastic bottle you won’t use again!
The Problems with Disposable Cups
Having a good coffee in the morning is one of the best ways to start your day!
That said, throwing away several plastic cups throughout the week is not an eco-friendly practice. Just like plastic bottles, plastic cups won’t get recycled.
You’re probably thinking a paper cup would be a good alternative to hold your drink and ditch plastic cups.
Paper is biodegradable and recyclable after all, right? Well, it’s not that simple.
Paper cups are lined with plastic to make them leakproof, so they can’t be easily recycled.
As a result, only one in 400 paper cups will get recycled.
And it goes without saying that many trees will be cut down each year to create cups that will end up as waste!
Why are Reusable Travel Mugs and Water Bottles Better?
Replacing plastic cups, paper cups and plastic bottles with a reusable travel mug and a water bottle has several benefits, such as:
- You will significantly reduce your plastic waste and you won’t be part of the plastic pollution problem!
- You can find reusable travel mugs and water bottles made of sustainable and recyclable materials!
- Some coffee shops will give you a discount for bringing your own reusable travel mug. Moreover, you will be an eco-conscious coffee lover!
- Unlike paper and plastic cups, a reusable travel mug will keep your drinks hot for a long time!
- You don’t need to worry about leaks and spills because reusable travel mugs and water bottles are leakproof!
- One reusable water bottle will save you money in the long run and it’s a safer option to drink from!
A standard water bottle holds around 16oz of water, that would be about 2 full cups of water per bottle or 473.2ml.
The number of cups of water a person should drink each day varies depending on their lifestyle and diet.
But In general, people should drink around 2 litres of water per day, so that’s 4 water bottles or 8 full cups of water to stay properly hydrated & healthy.
