We 

drink 

bottled 

water 

because 

it's 

easy. 

But 

is 

it?

The lifecycle of a single-use plastic bottle

Water is extracted from natural source. PET bottle preform is made. Preform is shipped to blow moulding facility. Plastic PET bottle is blown. Bottle is washed. Bottle cap is produced. Water is put inside plastic bottle. Bottle cap is screwed on. Bottle is dry blown. Bottle is laser coded. Bottle is labelled...

Bottle is shrink-wrapped with other bottles. Shrink-wrapped bottles are put on pallet. Pallet is carried to storage on hand truck. Pallet is carried from storage to truck. Truck starts 600-kilometre drive to supermarket warehouse. Truck makes quick stop at petrol station. Truck makes another quick stop at petrol station. Truck drops off pallet at supermarket warehouse...

Pallet is wheeled through warehouse on hand truck. Pallet sits in climate-controlled warehouse for days. Pallet is wheeled through warehouse on hand truck. Shrink-wrapped bottles are removed from pallet. Shrink-wrapped bottles are put on roll container. Roll container is wrapped in plastic foil. Roll container is wheeled onto other truck. Truck drives 80 kilometres to supermarket. Truck drops off roll container at local supermarket...

Roll container is wheeled into supermarket storage. Plastic foil is removed. Shrink-wrapped bottles are reorganised on different roll container. Roll container is wheeled onto supermarket floor. Shrink-wrap is removed from bottles. Old bottles are removed from shelf. New bottles are placed in the back. Old bottles are placed in front of new bottles...

Person walks into supermarket. Person takes bottle. Person scans barcode at self-checkout. Person pays €1.20 with card. Person takes bottle and receipt. Person throws receipt in first available bin. Person opens bottle. Person drinks water from bottle. Person throws bottle in bin. (In case of recycling bin, skip two paragraphs ahead)...

Bird pulls sandwich from bin. Bottle cap on top of sandwich falls on floor. Wind blows bottle cap into street. Rain washes bottle cap into canal. Bottle cap breaks down into smaller plastic parts in coming 20 to 500 years. Canal carries plastic parts to river. River carries plastic parts to sea. Plastic parts remain forever. Bin is emptied. Bin bag with bottle is thrown into bin truck. Bin truck drives 8 kilometers to recycling plant. Bin truck is emptied at plant. Bottle is thrown on big general waste pile. Waste pile with bottle is moved onto assembly line. Bottle goes through sorting machine. Bottle is sorted onto plastic waste piles...

Plastic piles continue to grow. Plastic piles are bundled. Giant bundles are stacked outside. Bundles wait for transport. Plastic label on bottle in bundle comes off. Wind blows label away. Label lands in nearby bush. Label breaks down into smaller parts. Rain washes plastic parts into soil. Plastic parts break down into microplastics. Microplastics enter groundwater. Microplastics remain forever. Plastic bundles are collected by trucks. Small part is recycled. Part is burned. Other part is driven to harbour. Bottle ends up at harbour. Bottle is moved onto container ship. Container ship is at sea for two months. Container ship arrives in Kenya. Bottle is loaded onto truck. Truck drives to local landfill. Bottle is thrown in landfill and covered with dirt...

Bottle breaks down into smaller plastic parts in coming 20 to 500 years. Rain washes plastic parts into soil and nearby stream. Plastic parts end up in groundwater. Stream carries plastic parts to river. Fish eats plastic parts. Fish swims to sea. Fish dies of plastic ingestion. Fish breaks down in sea. Plastic parts remain forever.*

*Dopper cannot accept liability for the accuracy or completeness of the process as described. Because it’s stupidly complicated.

European tap water is perfectly safe to drink. So, help end bottled water and refill your reusable bottle instead.