Reuse of water bottles

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Reusing water bottles is the practice of refilling and reuse of plastic or glass water bottles designed for one use, with tap water for multiple uses.

Reusing single-use bottles is a common domestic practice. Typically the bottle is washed out with warm soapy water after each use. Periodically a bleach solution may be employed to kill bacteria. Washing and re-using bottles cuts down on waste and landfill, and drinking tap water is much less resource-intensive than buying commercially bottled water.

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[edit] Health risks from reuse of water bottles

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The bottom line truth to this rampant rumor is as follows: A student wrote her senior thesis[citation needed] (in 2002) on potential risks from reusing a specific type of plastic bottle made with a particular type of plasticiser called DEHA (in the bottle's production). When the bottle would be frozen or heated, potentially breaking down this plastic, the DEHA COULD leach into the bottle's contents. DEHA is a potential carcinogen.[citation needed]

Today's bottles are made using PET, not DEHA. Further, the biggest risk bottle users are warned of is regarding to the bacteria that may develop in the bottle between uses. It is recommended to wash the interior with warm soapy water and let 100% dry before re-filling. As practically no bottle users employ this method, and the incidence of bacterial infections due to bottle reuse is not rampant, it is likely there are few problems associate with bottle re-use. The American Cancer Society has actually commented on this issue with same opinion as the one presented here. The New Zealand government officially issued a similar statement in response to public hysteria over their bottled water. Both of these opinions are readily available on line.[citation needed]

[edit] DEHA and Diethylhydroxylamine chain letter

In 2003, a chain email was widely circulated making claims about the leaching of chemicals from plastic bottles from repeated washing, rinsing or heating. The email mentioned the chemical DEHA, which is also known as di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate. The letter was based on media reporting of a student's thesis, which was later found to be inaccurate.

Note: PET or PETE refers only to bottles with a "1" plastic recycling code.

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