*Note: To add on to the post below, a big chunk of Massachusetts just got a boil water order because of a “catastrophic” leak in an aqueduct. What would Concord do in this situation with no bottled water at the stores?*

Source: boston.com
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CONCORD — For years, Jean Hill has been reading about the environmental consequences of the countless plastic bottles filling landfills and polluting local waters. She has watched as other towns around the country have cut purchases of bottled water, which she views as a wasteful, environmentally damaging alternative to tap water.

This week, after lobbying neighbors and local officials for months, the 82-year-old activist persuaded them to take more drastic action than perhaps any other municipality in the country: At Town Meeting on Thursday, Concord residents voted to ban all sales of bottled water.

Concord just voted to make a very drastic change. It is indeed true that bottled water (and anything bottled, for that matter) can lead to environmental waste if not properly recycled, and I do also see the point that having bottled water in your home could be redundant considering that there is the tap. Such a vote, however, doesn’t look at the whole story.

Let’s say that I’m visiting the town and I really want something to drink. I head to one of their convenience stores and now, bottled water is no longer an option. I have a choice between Snapple, Vitamin Water, Gatorade, and a variety of sodas (among other things, of course), but not water. What if I’m just visiting town and I want water? I don’t want sugary drinks. What do I do then? Knock on someone’s door and ask for access to their tap? Bottled water can be wasteful to the environment, but come on, now: there are times when people want to carry bottles with them, especially while on the road. Sure, it mostly won’t bother the townsfolk that much, the people who can get water from their house before leaving. But for people who go to the store because they’re thirsty on the spot, because they want something to drink right at that moment and they didn’t plan ahead, you just took out their healthiest option. Unless, of course, you plan on having some sort of water cooler at every store. Also:

“I am sure this was a well-intentioned proposal in Concord, but I think it’s misguided, because it’s based on misinformation, misconception, and mischaracterization of a product that has a lot of benefits,’’ said Chris Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association, which represents the state’s supermarkets and groceries. “Bottled water is used in times of need, often in natural disasters. It’s also a healthy product.’’

What does happen when there is a natural disaster and the tap’s no longer clean?

Lastly, while Jean Hill does point to a study that says that 88% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, that doesn’t mean that you should prevent people from using it entirely. Remember one of those principles of economics? The one that says that people respond to incentives? We should instead be working more to push people to recycle, not take things away from them just because they’ve failed to do so.