STANDARDS

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6, RH.6-8.7, RH.6-8.8, WHST.6-8.1, WHST.6-8.5, WHST.6-8.9, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.6, RI.6-8.7, RI.6-8.8, RI.6-8.10, W.6-8.1, W.6-8.5, W.6-8.9, SL.6-8.1

NCSS: People, Places, and Environments • Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • Power, Authority, and Governance • Production, Distribution, and Consumption • Science, Technology, and Society

Image of five plastic water bottles

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DEBATE

Pick a Side

Should Plastic Water Bottles Be Banned?

Bottled water is convenient, but it can cause big problems for the environment. Is banning it the best solution?

Chances are you’ve bought a bottle of water on vacation, at a sporting event, or in your school cafeteria. Each year, Americans purchase about 50 billion of them—more than any other drink. Bottled water is quick, convenient, and healthier than sports drinks and soda. But experts say it comes at a cost to the environment: Most plastic water bottles are used only once—and they take hundreds of years to break down in landfills

That’s why a growing number of places around the country are trying to ban the use of plastic water bottles. U.S. national parks and public lands have started phasing out their sale. Stores and vending machines in Los Angeles International Airport in California no longer carry them. And Massachusetts recently banned its state agencies from purchasing them.

People in favor of banning all plastic water bottles say cutting down on plastic pollution is essential. But other people argue that bottled water is vital—especially in places where it is the only safe drinking option.

Photo of plastic containers washed up on a beach

Alberto Pomares/E+/Getty Images

About 14 million tons of plastic ends up in oceans each year.

The Problem With Plastic 

Only one in six plastic water bottles get recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Most end up in landfills, where they leach chemicals into the soil and groundwater as they break down. Others litter parks and bodies of water. Animals that mistake pieces of them for food can get sick and die. 

The bottles aren’t just a problem after they’re used, experts say. Millions of barrels of oil are burned to produce the plastic in the first place. And oil and other fossil fuels power the trucks and ships that transport the bottles for sale. When fossil fuels are burned, they give off carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, causing Earth’s temperature to rise.

13

The average number of plastic water bottles each person in the U.S. uses a month

SOURCE: Earthday.org 

The majority of Americans support changes that reduce our overall plastic use, according to a recent study from the environmental group Oceana. Replacing plastic water bottles with reusable ones—and refilling them at free water-filling stations—is one option.

“There are other ways to get water,” says Emilia Prato, an eighth-grader from North Branford, Connecticut. “It’s easy enough to plan ahead and bring your own reusable bottle.”

Quenching Our Thirst

This graph shows how much bottled water was sold in the U.S. during selected years from 2012 to 2022.

Bar graph showing the sales volume in billions of gallons from 2012 to 2022

SALES VOLUME BY YEAR (in billions of gallons)

2012: 9.7 billion

2014: 10.9 billion

2016: 12.4 billion

2018: 13.9 billion

2020: 15 billion

2022: 15.9 billion

SOURCE: Beverage Marketing Corporation

An Unfair Target

But people who oppose a total ban on plastic water bottles say bottled water isn’t just about convenience. It is a lifeline in communities where people don’t always have access to clean tap water. Residents in cities such as Jackson, Mississippi, and Flint, Michigan, have struggled with contaminated water supplies in recent years. And in some places, such as the Navajo Nation, many people don’t have running water in their homes. 

Plus, even people with access to safe water don’t always have it with them. Bottled water offers an easy way to stay hydrated on the go. More than 90 percent of Americans agree bottled water should be available where other drinks are sold, says the International Bottled Water Association.

12%

Share of trash in the ocean made up of plastic water bottles

SOURCE: Nature Sustainability

“Water bottles are great for traveling, getting a quick drink, and hydrating as long as you’re responsible and recycle them,” says Grayson Balintfy, a sixth-grader from Chittenango, New York. What’s more, he adds, “not everyone likes the taste of tap water.”

Another concern is that such a ban would target only bottled water—even though many sodas and sugary beverages also come in plastic containers. Banning bottled water could push people toward those less healthy options. “If people can’t buy it,” says Grayson, “they might stop drinking it.” 

YOUR TURN

Make Your Case Contest

Should plastic water bottles be banned? Write an argument that includes evidence from the article or your experiences to support your opinion. Entries must be submitted to Make Your Case Contest by a teacher, parent, or legal guardian. Three winners will each get a JS notebook.

Entries must be created by a student in grades 4-12 and submitted by their teacher, parent, or legal guardian, who will be the entrant and must be a legal resident of the U.S. age 18 or older. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

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