Today we will be attempting to answer a very difficult question. One you probably have not thought about but a question faced by so many people every single day … What water bottle should you buy and use?
This may seem obvious at first, but with so many choices these days it seems very hard to determine which one is right. There are metal ones with lids, plastic ones with an orifice for drinking out of and a simple disposable bottle. There are also many other combinations and variants of these. Though for the purposes of this review I will focus on these three key products.
Starting out with the diposable bottle -, please just don’t buy one for any sort of long-term usage. Even if you have the intention of using more than once it is incredibly wasteful as the longest you will be able to realistically use it is about a week. The negative environmental impact this has with masses of bottles in ocean garbage patches is indescribable. This means far more waste is created than any of the reusable bottle alternatives. Furthermore, the thin plastic used to make these bottles constantly makes crumpling sounds when used particularly – when being taken in and out of bags. This can be disruptive in class especially when quietly working. On the other hand, disposable bottles can be useful for exams where clear bottles are necessary.
Reusable plastic bottles offer a great alternative to disposable ones since they only cost a minimum of about £3 to buy, making them much cheaper in the long term as they don’t need to be replaced nearly as often. Looking into the reusable plastic bottle the advantages are immediately apparent. The fact that it is made from thicker, less crumply, plastic means that it makes far less noise when being taken in and out of a school bag. This can help to reduce unnecessary disruptions in class. Even though there is a larger mass of plastic in these bottles means they use more resources, the ‘shelf life’ is far greater ranging from 6 months to over a 3-years based on personal experience. However, with these bottles there comes another even more annoying sound. Most of these plastic bottles have a valve to let air in when you drink out of them. When used a long-lasting piercing squeak emanates from the bottle followed by a rushing gurgle for a few seconds – a quick way to cause large amounts of hysteria in a lesson once it becomes a regular occurrence by a person repetitively doing this, getting louder and louder every time. Nonetheless the key advantage with these reusable bottles is the increased use life but this is only used to its full advantage if the water bottle is not damaged, they do have a tendency to crack and develop leaks. Also, when filled with boiling water they have a small tendency to melt (don’t ask how I know).
Finally, we meet the holy grail of water bottles – the steel ones! The toughest, the best insulating and longest lasting water money can buy. Most of these cost from around £10 pounds to £35. The benefits are so clear they almost speak for themselves. Even though they use largest mass of material out of any of the other options they will last for a lot longer: negating this effect. The construction out of metal makes it just as recyclable as plastic bottles as well. They can also be used for warm drinks without melting like the plastic ones, and also keep cool drinks cooler for longer. They do seem to be clearly more durable than the plastic reusable bottles too, with my personal one collecting only a few marks and a small dent in over a year of use.
As we have seen here all of these water bottles have advantages and drawbacks, but the reusable plastic bottles still won’t last that long and are not that durable – limiting the life of use. If there is a specific need for one like in a exam, a disposable plastic bottle does have a purpose – as clear bottles are only allowed in exams. Though in general if you are in the market for a water bottle it is definitely worth the initial outlay and to pay the extra for a metal one. It is so much better for the environment and I highly recommend purchasing one if possible.