Bottled Water vs Tap Water: Which Is Better? Here is a quick comparison (click on the links to learn more about each point).
Bottled Water vs. Tap Water
Taste: Bottled water has a great taste that most people enjoy, however you may not like the taste of your tap water due to additives in your municipal water.
Smell: Bottled water doesn't have any unpleasant smell, however, some tap water may have a smell to it if it contains things like sulphur.
Cost: Tap water is by far the least expensive option, however, if you want to use bottled water then purchasing it in refillable large containers is an option.
Convenience: Both bottled and tap water are very convenient.
Environment: Tap water is much more environmentally friendly than bottled water.
Bottled water vs. tap water: Which is your best option?
Bottled Water vs. Tap Water: Taste
Bottled Water:
One of the greatest advantages of bottled water vs. tap water is the taste. Bottled water has a very pleasing and refreshing taste that most people enjoy.
Tap Water:
Depending on where you live and where your water comes from, you may not like the taste of your tap water. Your municipality might add things to your tap water that give it an unpleasant taste. These additives could include:
Chlorine used to disinfect your water supply
Ozone used to disinfect the water
High levels of dissolved minerals in your water due to your water source coming from groundwater.
Your water might even contain some copper caused by the corrosion of your copper plumbing.
Even though the above will make your tap water taste bad, they are normally safe for you to drink.
Improve the taste of your tap water
If you don't like the taste of your tap water, you could install a water filtration system such as a reverse osmosis unit.
Reverse osmosis can remove dissolved solids, salts, minerals that cause hardness, organic chemicals and other impurities that can make your tap water taste bad.
If you don't like the taste of chlorine in your water, you could install a dechlorinator to remove it.
Reverse Osmosis System
Dechlorinator
Bottled Water vs. Tap Water: Smell
Bottled Water:
Bottled water doesn't have any smell to it making it very pleasant to drink.
Tap Water:
Some tap water, especially if you have a private well, has a strong smell to it that will put you off wanting to drink it.
Here are some of the different smells that water can have and what causes them:
Sulphur or Rotten Egg Smell: This is due to having hydrogen sulphide in your water.
Wet Dog Smell: This can be caused by metal plumbing, bacteria, treatment chemical or organic material in your water.
Gasoline Smell: this can happen if an animal falls into an open water supply but it also can be caused by contamination from a nearby fuel source.
Some tap water might have an unpleasant smell
Bottled Water vs. Tap Water: Cost
Bottled Water:
Purchasing individual bottles of drinking water is very expensive. Individual bottled water can cost anywhere from 8 cents per 500ml if purchased in bulk from a large store such as Walmart to over $3.50 if purchased from a vending machine.
90% of the cost of individual bottled water is the packaging, which includes the plastic manufactured to contain the water and the labelling created by the seller to brand it.
A much more inexpensive option is to purchase large, 18-litre refillable bottles of water. If you live in the Waterloo region, you can fill your own bottles with great-tasting water for as little as 20 cents per litre from WaterSmart. You can save even more money if you sign up for our prepaid water plan.
Tap Water:
Tap water is by far your least expensive option for drinking water. It costs only a fraction of a penny per litre.
However, if you really don't like the taste or the smell of your tap water, you may be prepared to pay a bit more. Purchasing large refillable bottles of water is a less expensive and healthier way to keep you hydrated than drinking other beverages that have higher sugar and calorie content like pop or juice.
Drinking tap or bottled water is a healthier alternative to juice or pop
Bottled Water vs. Tap Water: Convenience
Bottled Water:
Bottled water is very convenient and easy to take with you no matter where you are going, so you can remain hydrated all day long.
If you are concerned about the environmental impact of individual bottles though, you can also enjoy the convenience of using a water cooler with large refillable bottles.
Your water will remain cool and ready for you to fill up your glass or reusable water bottle all day long. A water cooler is also a great way to encourage your smaller children to drink more water as it is at an easier height for them to access than the kitchen tap.
The biggest inconvenience with bottled water is that when you run out, you need to go out and purchase more; you don't have a constant supply in your home.
Tap Water:
Tap water is extremely convenient as you simply need to turn on your tap and there it is. You don't have to go out and purchase it or worry about running out of it. You always have enough, unless there is a problem with your municipal supply or you are doing renovations and your water needs to be turned off temporarily.
Water coolers make it easier for small children to get a drink by themselves
Bottled Water vs. Tap Water: Environment
Bottled Water:
Purchasing individual bottles of water is extremely bad for the environment. Even though plastic water bottles can be recycled, only about 70% of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles - the type that can be recycled - are recycled by Canadians according to the Canadian Beverage Association.
It also takes manufacturers up to 3 litres of water to make 1 litre of bottled water if you count the amount of water required to make the plastic bottles.
If you love the taste of bottled water but want to be more environmentally conscious, you could start using more economical and refillable large bottles.
You can purchase BPA-free reusable bottles from WaterSmart so you don't have to worry about harmful chemicals seeping into your water. WaterSmart also has a convenient bottle washer on-site to ensure that your reusable bottles are completely clean before you refill them.
Tap Water:
Tap water is by far the most environmentally friendly option for your water consumption. If you purchase a reusable bottle to fill up and take with you, you will be helping to keep our landfills free of harmful plastic water bottles.
Choose WaterSmart for Your Bottled Water & More!
You can rely on WaterSmart not only for great bottled water services but for all of your home water needs. WaterSmart is a full-service plumbing company that can fix any type of plumbing problem you may have and at a price that you can afford.
Is your water too hard? A water softener can help you solve your hard water problem. The professionals at WaterSmart can also help you choose the most effective water softener for the level of hardness in your particular area.
Contact WaterSmart today for all of your home water services.
“FAST AND EFFICIENT. YOU GO IN AND ARE ALWAYS GREETED BY THEIR STAFF WARMLY AND THEY ASSIST WITH CLEANING THE BOTTLES AND MOST TIMES TAKING THEM TO YOUR CAR. I HAVE BEEN A CUSTOMER HERE WELL OVER 10 YEARS! ”
