giving up plastic water bottles is the best answer

the most sustainable course of action is to use stainless steel reusable water bottles..


quoted from an article in suite101.com

Recycling Plastic Water Bottles

Jun 26, 2010 Bailey Shoemaker Richards

Plastic water bottles are a major source of landfill waste, but recycling them can help both the environment and the economy.

Recycling plastic can seem like a hassle. Collecting plastic and plastic bottles to take to a recycling center takes up space and time. However, space and time are two of the major concerns for plastic bottles in landfills: they take many years to biodegrade, release toxic chemicals into the environment as they do, and the millions of plastic bottles used take up a huge amount of space. 
Recycling plastic bottles is much safer and more environmentally sustainable.

Plastic Bottle Use

Americans use millions of plastic bottles each year, and most of them end up in landfills. Once there, these bottles use up space and cause serious environmental harm. Recycled bottles, however, can still be useful and very profitable for those who recycle them.

Once taken to recycling centers, plastic bottles can be broken down into a substance like yarn. This yarn can be made into carpets, tote bags and even wall coverings for room dividers and cubicles. Recycling bottles keeps them out of the ecosystem and makes them useful again. (Source: NPR)

Recycling Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles do not biodegrade easily. Their petroleum-based production makes them a very wasteful part of a throwaway culture, and the bottles themselves contain harmful chemicals that can be released into the atmosphere and the water supply. Although using and disposing of these bottles in the trash is simple, it is much more harmful in the long run.

Recycling plastic bottles can be a simple process of collecting the bottles used each week and taking them to a local recycling center. Some cities have recycling collections, so recyclable plastic, cardboard and glass can be put out with the trash and collected for a small fee.

Reusable Water Bottles

Switching to reusable metal water bottles is a much more economical and environmentally friendly choice. Metal water bottles come in many styles, keep water fresh longer and can be reused indefinitely. Additionally, reusing plastic water bottles can cause them to leach toxins that can pose health threats.

The use of metal water bottles also saves consumers money in the long run. A one-time purchase can last for years, whereas plastic water bottles can cost several dollars for a single use.

Read more at Suite101: Recycling Plastic Water Bottles http://reducing-waste.suite101.com/article.cfm/recycling-plastic-water-bottles#ixzz0tL3JvnZO