Last Updated on October 12, 2024 by
Bring your own water bottle – On average Americans buy 36.5 gallons of bottled water each year.
If we multiply this number with the number of American population it’s easy to see that we consume an incredible amount of bottled water each year.
According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, total bottled water volume continues to grow.
It increased from 11.8 billion gallons in 2015 to 12.8 billion gallons in 2016.
That’s an increase of 9%!
Despite people bringing their own reusable water bottles with them, consumption grows each year.
Bring your own water bottle
While drinking a lot of water is a good thing, we have to pay attention to what type of water we actually drink.
Buying a bottle of water might be convenient at some times but we shouldn’t make it a habit.
Each bottle of water we buy we harms our environment.
There are so many excellent water bottles available.
It’s easy to bring one with you.
It’s also convenient to have cold water whenever you want it.
The insulated water bottles keep water cold for up to 24 hours.
The packaging
The main issue with bottled water is the packaging.
Most bottled waters are sold in plastic (PET) bottles which have an alarming characteristic.
Once they are produced, they’re here to stay.
Through the production process, the components of plastic become unrecognizable.
This makes plastic non-biodegradable.
In the U.S. alone, we generate 79 million plastic bottles each day.
The majority of them end up in landfills, incinerators or even worse, in the ocean.
Why recycling is not the solution
Although recycling is the best waste management option, it is still not a solution.
During recycling, plastic is made into a new product.
It is reused but this process also requires a lot of resources.
Also, usually during the recycling process, plastic is down-cycled.
This means it can only be reused as a lower grade plastic than it was originally.
If we really do want to live a more sustainable lifestyle our only option is to reduce our plastic consumption.
What you can do
Living a totally plastic-free life is possible.
It will take some effort and determination.
On the other hand, we can still significantly reduce the plastic we use.
The first step should be stop buying bottled water.
Drink more tap water.
You can filter it if you need to.
You will be helping the environment and also save a lot of money.
While it is inexpensive in a case, bottled water can cost 2,000 times more than tap water!
Want to know more?
Take a look at the following infographic to learn more about how using your own water bottle and drinking tap water can benefit everyone.
Brincatti Travel Bottles Review
I’m always in the market for gear that makes green travel — and green living — easier.
The folks at Brincatti were kind enough to send me their travel bottle kit and a refillable spray bottle to try out.
So far, I’ve loved them both.
Here’s why I enjoyed using the Brincatti Travel Bottles.
Brincatti Travel Bottle Kit: Green Traveling Made Easy
It’s so wasteful to use the tiny bottles of shampoo that hotels supply, so I always want to bring my own.
Unfortunately, I’m usually reusing the tiny hotel bottles, which are difficult to fill up and end up making a mess.
Plus, they don’t hold enough shampoo for a long trip.
The bottles in Brincatti’s travel bottle kit are much bigger at 3 oz. each and have wider mouths, which makes filling them a breeze.
They even come with adhesive labels that you can add to each bottle for shampoo, condition, lotion, sunscreen, etc.
Each kit contains four bottles, three of which have flip caps and one of which has a spray top.
The kit comes with a TSA-approved plastic carrier, too.
The only downside to the plastic carrier is that there’s no room for other liquids, so if you want to bring toothpaste or deodorant, you’ll need to bring a different TSA-approved plastic bag that can hold everything.
These days, I have been using regular Zip-lock bags instead of buying a special clear travel bag.
Overall, though, Brincatti’s travel bottle kit is great.
You can buy one for less than a bottle of shampoo.
Brincatti Travel Bottles
Refillable Spray Bottle: Green Living at Home
Next, we tried Brincatti’s refillable spray bottle.
If you make your own cleaning products, you’ll love Brincatti’s refillable spray bottle.
Unlike many spray bottles, this one has a wide-mouth opening that makes filling it up simple and mess-free.
I love using it around the house.
It is 22 ounces.
I use cloth diapers for my 10-month-old son and had been looking for a way to make using cloth wipes easy.
I ordered handmade wipes from Etsy, but needed a simple way to get them wet right before I used them.
The Brincatti refillable spray bottle is the perfect solution.
I made a homemade cloth diaper wipe solution and was able to mix it right in the bottle.
And because of its wide-mouth feature, it is very easy to refill without having spills.
The bottle would also be great for homemade household cleaners, vinegar, or even a marinade for meat or veggies.
At under $5, the refillable spray bottle is a worthwhile investment for green living at home.
Brincatti Refillable Spray Bottle
These Brincatti Travel Bottles are an easy way of going green while traveling and while at home.
You will conserve and save on plastic bottle waste.
When you use the refillable spray bottle, you can be helping your own environment by filling it with earth-friendly cleaning products that you can make yourself.
Or you can buy in bulk and dispense it yourself.
Either way, by bringing your own toiletries on vacation with TSA approved bottles and by refilling bottles at home, you will become more economical and be earth-friendly at the same time.