W. Dundee taking action against bottled water

West Dundee officials are considering a green initiative similar to programs that other communities across the country - and the globe - have embraced, or are considering to reduce the number of plastic water bottles dumped into landfills.

Cities like San Francisco, Seattle and New York have banned the use of city funds to purchase single-serve bottles of water. About 60 others have taken similar steps calling bottled water a waste of money and a natural resource. Chicago added a tax on sales. And at least one small Australian town has banned the sale of bottled water.

While West Dundee's idea to provide residents with a reusable drinking vessel and accompanying literature to educate its residents on the benefits of reusing drink bottles is not as drastic as the aforementioned examples, it is a significant step in the right direction.

Hypothetically speaking, if 400 people stop buying 2 bottles of water a day, that's 5,600 fewer water bottles per week that would otherwise end up in landfills, where they would take 1,000 years to biodegrade. Or worse yet, bottles end up as litter, clogging water ways and polluting open space.

Not to mention that bottled water often costs 400 to 5,000 times more than tap water. Taxpayers are already paying to ensure the liquid that comes out of the tap is a clean drinking supply. Bottled water is no cleaner or healthier than the stuff that comes out of the tap. In fact, it is often tap water purified and repackaged. It also takes about seven times as much water contained in the bottle to produce.

It requires about 1.5 million barrels of water to make the bottles every year, not to mention the energy that is used to transport the stuff.

And even though these plastic water bottles are recycled, only about 20 percent end up in recycling bins across the country, leaving 2 million tons of empty bottles in landfills each year. It costs $70 million to dispose of them, according to Corporate Accountability International,

Residents should support West Dundee's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Village officials are taking steps to become more environmentally-friendly from hybrid squad cars and now reusable water bottles.

Plus, drinking water from the municipal water supply will boost the village's bottom line in its water and sewer fund, lessening the need to increase water and sewer rates.