Chances are, you’ve seen those five gallon plastic water coolers at some of the offices around town. You know, the ones sitting in your doctor’s office or maybe the office where you are employed. Maybe you’ve even enjoyed the access to this high-quality drinking water. Those five gallon plastic water coolers are a popular addition to businesses who feel good knowing that their employees and customers can drink water throughout their stay. Some businesses even feel good knowing that they have made an eco-friendly choice over offering individual plastic bottled water. The truth is, although this is certainly better than plastic water bottles, we may have an even better solution making five gallon plastic water jugs a thing of the past.
What’s wrong with the five gallon plastic water coolers? Well to start, those 5 gallon bottles are made from petroleum and if you fail to recycle them, they can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade in our landfills! Still think they are a good idea? Just producing them alone takes 1.5 gallons of oil to manufacture, ship, and store just one 5 gallon jug! Imagine how much oil is being used to produce all of these water coolers you see in offices around town. Once they are made, they still waste water when being washed out and cleaned. Then, they are filled with water which has been filtered with reverse osmosis, wasting even more water. It doesn’t stop there! More gas is needed just to transport these plastic jugs to and from businesses too. The water itself is the same as our bottleless water coolers except it lacks the same benefits.
