Plastics in water, from your cup to the oceans: What to know

Hockey Sunday 03/June/2018 18:02 PM
By: Times News Service
Plastics in water, from your cup to the oceans: What to know

You may not realise it, but there’s a lot of plastics in water — both in the water you drink, as well as in rivers, lakes, and oceans.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, only one in five single-use plastic water bottles is recycled, meaning 80 per cent end up in the environment, contributing to the 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in each square mile of earth’s oceans. Each year, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter oceans, adding to the estimated 150 million metric tons that currently circulate marine environments, according to Ocean Conservancy. You can take action to protect your health and the environment from harmful plastics. Here’s how:
Filter Your Water
Start by ensuring that the water you and your family drink is both healthy and safe. Using a water filtration system can help eliminate harmful microplastics present in your drinking water and minimise the need for single-use plastic bottles and pollution. Note: Not all water filters remove microplastics, so knowing which filters address this issue is important as you make a decision.
Water filtration products remove chemicals, bacteria, odours, bad taste and 99.999 per cent of microplastics from contaminated water, enabling access to safe drinking water on-demand nearly anywhere. This is higher protection than the standard carbon-based filters that are available on the market.

Shop Responsibly
Another way to effect change?
Make sure the brands you support are engaging in responsible business practices to reduce waste.
Avoid single use-plastic water bottles when possible and avoid products with high levels of plastic packaging. Try re-usable storage bags or items made of compostable material. Shop with brands that support cleanups.
To improve your family’s wellness and protect the planet, think water. Avoid consuming microplastics, invest in filtration, and prevent more plastic from contaminating our oceans and environment by shopping responsibly and supporting brands that share these values.