If you haven't seen un-bottled water for sale yet, get ready - it seems to be the latest trend in H2O marketing. Manufacturers want to find alternatives to plastic water bottle packaging so they can say they're selling a "greener" drink.
The newest addition? Boxed Water Is Better, which is nothing more than carbon-filtered Minnesota tap water packaged in a simple white gable-top carton. So is this boxed water really better than bottled water?
Well, a carton made from 90 percent paper certainly sounds better than a plastic bottle. But the problem is, even though you can recycle gable-tops in New York City, you can't in many other cities including Grand Rapids, Michigan, which just happens to be the only place this boxed water is sold! Meanwhile, those nasty plastic water bottles are widely accepted for recycling across the U.S. The same recycling conundrum is true for two other boxed options Aqua2Go and Plant it Water.
The creators of Boxed Water is Better realize their product isn't perfect, but say they're trying to take a sustainable step in the right direction and plan to keep looking for better ways to provide portable water. Our advice? Refill your bottle at restaurants and cafes in the TapIt Water network. And if you want to continue the debate, Elizabeth Royte, author of Bottlemania: How Water Went On Sale and Why We Bought It, takes an in-depth look at three boxed water options on her blog.
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