Making The Most Of A Water Filter Pitcher

Summary: Bottled water costs a lot and it may not be as healthy as one thinks. Instead, consider processing water from your own water tap and making your own bottled water. In the process, you'll also be cutting down on environmental waste. That's a win-win-win situation – your health, your wallet and the environment!

News reports show that bottled water sales are drying up globally. After 40 years of continual worldwide growth, this is a significant turn-about. In France, for example, bottled water sales fell more than 7 percent in 2008.

Then, in July 2009, the rural community of Bundanoon, Australia banned the sale of bottled water completely. And several U.S. cities (like Seattle and San Francisco) are no longer buying bottled water with city funds.

The environmental community is cheering because most of the plastic used in bottled water containers never gets recycled. And the fiscal and environmental) costs involved in making the plastic and distributing the bottled water border on astronomical. Further, more than 25 percent of bottled water sold in the U.S. alone is simply treated and purified municipal water. Read the labels to see for yourself.

There is also a health and safety consideration. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates public water. The EPA requires multiple daily tests for bacteria and makes results available to the public. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water. The FDA only requires weekly testing and does not share its findings with the EPA or the public.

The scenarios described above are similar in other developed countries around the world.

Still some people don't like the taste or smell of tap water, even if it is safe. That's why the Brita water filter pitcher and faucet filtration system with its carbon filter and ion exchange resin makes so much sense for homes and small businesses. The pitcher comes in various sizes and shapes for easier refrigerator storage. The Brita filter helps remove the taste and odor of chlorine, while capturing much of the mercury, lead, copper, cadmium and zinc found in water treatment system water. The filter only removes small amounts of fluoride so it doesn't negate good dental hygiene.

And it works. Nine out ten people surveyed in a 2005 study favored Brita Pitcher System water to tap water.

But the real savings are in one's wallet. A typical Brita Pitcher filter costs around $4.00 (Amazon.com) and is eligible for free shipping. Each filter can process about 40 gallons of water (equivalent to the water in three hundred 16.9 ounce bottles). That means it costs only about one and a third cents to create 16.9 ounces of water that tastes and smells better than municipal tap water and contains fewer minerals. Note that the Brita system is NOT intended for use with micro biologically unsafe water (e.g., untreated well water).

If one were to buy a case of 16.9 ounce of bottled water from a warehouse store (such as Costco), the price would be about twelve cents per bottle plus shopping costs. That means that filtered water via a Brita system costs only about 1/10 as much as bottled water. Even if the numbers change somewhat due to normal pricing variations, Brita system water is cheap by bottled water standards.

However, there is an initial cost involved in buying a Brita Pitcher and associated, long-lasting Nalgene water bottles (for taking water with you, wherever you go). But that cost is really quite small and would be offset fairly quickly by the recurring savings.

Environmental soundness, better taste and cost savings all translate into a very realistic approach to keeping hydrated. But Brita hasn't stopped there. The internationally-based company is working on recycling its carbon filters (reusing the carbon and recycling the plastic housing). It's also creating lots of content rich, educational material at its website with a focus on maintaining and/or improving one's health through enhanced water consumption.

So, the next time you want to toast someone, raise that glass (of course with Brita filtered water) and proudly announce, "to your health!" That toast will be far more meaningful than many at the table may comprehend.