FACT: PET (polyurethane terephthalate) is derived from crude oil, why am i telling you this? because PET is what your bottled water bottles are made of.
FACT: While your bottled waters are sitting on the ground, or in the landfill, it is poisoning the ground with phthalates in them, in addition to other toxic additives, that is going straight into the ground water, that in result, will go back into your water.
FACT: We put 38 billion waterbottles into the landfill every year. Which is about 1 million dollars worth of plastic (which can be broken down via the recycling)
FACT: Waterbottles after being recycled, can be used as fiberfill for clothing, and in fleece pull overs (spun into fiber used for making them). In addition to railroad ties, lumber, park benches, and even new containers, decking, many various projects reused after being processed and recycled.
**tips**
A lot of people are buying the large 5 or so gallon bottles, and a reusable bottle (of choice color or design) and no longer purchasing individual bottles, sure, at night time giving it a good rinse or washout is necessary, but it saves you money in the long run, as well as it being a very green choice. Names like Sierra springs and Crystal springs are companies that deliver big bottles for you, also locally we have a place where we fill bottles (water and air works) off of Minehaha.
Do you have kids at home? Or in the neighborhood? one of my favorite group activities growing up was to do scavenger hunts, maybe set up a game for kids..provide gloves and plastic bags, have them go out and find as many bottles as they can (safely), looking on the ground (its sad, there all over the ground, ive seen several just on my way to work), and hold contests..whatever group or person that can find the most bottle waters wins ?? whatever. Middle school aged kids and older kids like cash prizes, little kids like happy meals, ill let you get creative with this one :)
Ive seen people use home projects for waterbottles...including but not limited too: decorations, pen holders with creative flare, and my favorite: rafts. Waterbottles will float, and with the lids on properly, you can strategically place them under a piece of wood, and float them down the river.
extra resources and websites on waterbottles:
http://earth911.com/recycling/plastic/plastic-bottles/facts-about-plastic-bottles/
http://www.progressivekid.com/shop/BottledWaterTrouble.aspx
http://refillnotlandfill.org/
this article ive yet to check out (requires an account) but it has a very vivid picture on findings of unrecycled bottles and how quickly Humans are ruining the earth: http://www.sheamaxx.com/2010/03/page/2/
