Plastic or Reusable?

    As I sat at my desk this Friday morning, I watched the water in my plastic bottle gently swish with each stroke of my pen on the paper. And then I decided to transition my writing to this blog. I thought about the growing number of people using reusable water bottles, and the benefits and disadvantages that come along. 

    First of all, I still see the appeal of plastic water bottles, even in this day and age. For one, they're much more convenient in a lot of ways. You can easily stuff them in your backpack without filling them up, they're lighter, they're disposable and they're smaller and easier to carry. You don't have to worry about washing them, of course. The water already inside of them also means that you don't have to worry about getting that nasty tap water taste if when your filter's not working--that is of course, if you don't have a water dispenser on your fridge door or have some other water spout that has a filtration system. If you want your water to be cold, you can easily store a few plastic bottles in the fridge overnight. It's a little harder to get cold water in a flask. You either have to have ice cubes to drop in there or have a source of cold water in the fridge (from like a Brita or a dispenser). This doesn't really bother me, though, since I don't mind my water room temperature. 

    Even though they're convenient, disposable bottles do have their own issues. The most obvious issue that anyone thinks of is their environmental impact. Plastic bottles, since they're manufactured at an insane rate, produce tons of plastic. Who knows if recycling actually does anything? We still find these bottles in the ocean. A lot of environmentalist are urging people to stop using them because of this. Additionally, the microplastics that may be in the bottled water might have undesirable effects. I'm not even sure what chemicals (not to sound like a damn anti vaxxer) are in the plastics, but I'm not dead, so who cares. Beyond the environmental impacts, disposable bottles may add up in cost over time to an expensive Stanley or Hydro Flask. It doesn't seem like it at first, but you're likely to go through a bunch of bottles over time and spend more money. 

    Part of me doesn't care, though. I like the feeling of cracking open a fresh bottle and seeing that crisp, new plastic shell with all those little ridges and bumps. I like the feeling of crushing the bottle once I'm done. The plastic water bottle is a symbol of a day outside and a day of hard work. 

    I still see the benefit of the other side, too. Reusable water bottles, whether metal or a durable plastic, can be great for some. If you like cold water, then metal bottles often offer insulation that keeps the water cool for hours. This can be extremely nice when it's a hot day out and you want to have ice-cold water for when you're dying of thirst. On top of having cold water, you can have a lot more water when you use reusable ones, as they often have much larger capacities than 16.9 FL OZ. Obviously, reusable ones are more environmentally friendly, since they're not nearly as wasteful as the plastic ones. They also last forever. Like forever. If you treat your bottle with good care (which really isn't much) and wash it regularly, the thing'll last you for years and years and years. There should be no reason it will ever "break". This is also why it's probably more cost-friendly, since you don't have to buy another one for a very long time. On top of durability and lifespan, reusable bottles offer more customization and aesthetics, since you can apply stickers and get it in your favorite colors. 

    Overall, if you're stuck on which one to go with, do both. I use both types off and on, and I like the benefits of each kind of bottle.