If hydrating more was one of your New Year's resolutions, there are many companies out there trying to make water a more exciting drink. However, you should be mindful that you make sustainable choices — with the help of Reddit.
Within a subreddit for anticonsumption, one Redditor shed light on the environmental concerns surrounding the water flavoring company Cirkul Water. Cirkul Water is a beverage company that sells flavor cartridges that make water taste better without adding artificial flavors, colors, sugar, or calories.
But these flavor cartridges come in single-use plastic pouches.
"Learned about Cirkul Water and it's making me sick. Each plastic bag has a 'flavor cartridge' that is another huge chunk of plastic, only lasts 40oz (or 2-4 fills) and is tossed after it's used up." said the Redditor. "The definition of single use waste."
The post caused some users to reevaluate their water bottle purchases. One Redditor replied:
"I found this thread by googling are Cirkuls wasteful? I use a tervis water bottle and squirter flavorings that come in recyclable bottles. Thank everyone for this info."
Recycling your water bottles is a great way to reduce your plastic waste. Hydro Flask, one of the most popular water bottle companies, has launched a new trade-in program that can help recycle your bottle for you.
The use of plastics in packaging, especially in products that claim to promote health and wellness, raises ethical questions about sustainability and corporate responsibility. Although Cirkul claims to reduce plastic waste by 84%, it is only compared to those who constantly drink from single-use plastic water bottles. Drinking water from one reusable water bottle still produces the least plastic waste.
You can also look for better water bottle alternatives. Recently, a California startup named Cove developed and began selling the world's first biodegradable water bottle.
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