All About Plastic Free July
Every July 4th we Americans are prompted to think about Freedom. However, did you know that July is also celebrated across the globe as Plastic-Free July? This article is all about the campaign, and how your business and your water dispenser can help you to gain freedom from plastic.
History of Plastic-Free July
So what is Plastic-Free July and when and how did it come about? Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, along with a small team in Western Australia, started Plastic-Free July in the year 2011. Today it is one of the most influential environmental campaigns in the world. According to Rebecca, who is also the founder of the Plastic Free Foundation, millions of people across the globe take part in it every year. As such, many people and businesses are committed to reducing plastic pollution far beyond the month of July.
Here’s Why We Need Plastic-Free July
Plastic has been part of our daily lives for a long time, but here are just 3 big reasons for worldwide participation in this campaign:
- Money Is Being Wasted With Plastic
Did you know that every sixty seconds one million plastic bottles are purchased worldwide? In America alone, an average of 167 disposable plastic water bottles are purchased every year, (per person), costing $266. Do the math: that’s $17,290 across the span of 80 years, a single lifetime. This money could be saved simply by purchasing a reusable water bottle and by refilling it at a water dispenser.
- Plastic Is Using Up Our Natural Resources
When you save a dollar, you also save around a quarter of that water bottle’s volume worth of petroleum. That’s how much it takes to produce each disposable plastic bottle. It’s estimated that 17 million barrels of oil, which could fuel up to 100,000 cars, are needed to supply the demand for water bottles worldwide. If we stop relying upon plastic water bottles, and instead use a water dispenser to quench our thirst, we’ll save that much more oil, for things that matter.
- We Are Trashing Our Planet With Plastic
According to the EPA, plastic containers and bottles had the most plastic tonnage of waste produced (at over 14.5 million tons) in the year 2018. You have to wonder: where did all this plastic go? Unfortunately, plastic was designed to stick around, which also means that millions of tons of plastic have ended up in our oceans, and continue to do so every year. This poses a significant threat to marine life, including our beloved sea turtles, all the way from Florida to Massachusetts.
The Benefits of A Water Dispenser to Go Plastic Free
Whether in school, at the hospital, or in the office, a refillable water dispenser is an essential tool for eliminating plastic bottle waste. What’s more is those water dispensers offered by companies like Optimum Water Solutions will do more to help you save money and the environment, and not only during Plastic-Free July. Their innovative on-demand water systems involve a 6-stage purification process that ensures that only the cleanest, purest water flows into each and every reusable water bottle, and not to mention that their water tastes great! Doesn’t that sound refreshing? All year round. Clearly. Pure. Water.
