Environmental impact of tap water vs. bottled water

The Orgeon Department of Environmental Quality has released an interesting new report:

"DEQ has completed a study that compares a wide range of environmental impacts (including greenhouse gas emissions) of drinking water from the tap, 5-gallon reusables, and single-use bottles. It compares the environmental impacts of tap water (“reduce”) against the impacts of bottled water (“recycle” and “dispose”). The study confirms that while recycling bottles is environmentally preferable to disposing of them, buying bottled water and recycling the bottles is not the best environmental choice. Drinking water from the tap (waste prevention) typically has substantially lower impacts in most categories of environmental impact."

Their press release sums up their findings:

"Analysis of delivering drinking water shows that tap water is a far better environmental choice than recycling single-use bottles

A study commissioned by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to assess drinking water delivery systems helps bolster the principle that “reducing first, then recycling” is the best environmental path to follow."