Is Boxed Water Really Eco-Friendly?

Recently, we’ve seen some news about cartoned water. These cartons are similar to the soymilk containers and coconut water boxes, but are they really helping the planet? When you consider the other options for water storage – plastic or glass, the carton is the better choice due to waste reduction. These cartons have a high paper content, which IS a good thing, because trees are a renewable resource and plastic is not. The carton is made of paper and plastic, and this where we run into an issue. Recycling can be tough for some towns. Some areas don’t have the technology to separate out the materials and recycle one or the other. The company offers a mail-back program for areas that aren’t able to recycle, but most of these cartons are ending up in the trash. When you look at it from this point of view, at least the glass and plastic bottles are recycled all over the world without issue. In addition to this, shipping cost and emissions from trucks are lower because the cartons are so much lighter than glass. Lastly, do need these cartons? We have a clean water source coming from our sinks, and we have refillable bottles to avoid producing any more waste or littering. If you are worried about polluting your environment, you can carry a refillable bottle- and be sure to recycle in other aspects of your life!