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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009

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Iran Takes
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It's never happened before, say outraged officials in Norway

Nov 26, 09 1:06 PM CST
British Treasure
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Anglo-Saxon gold unearthed by jobless searcher this summer

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Blair Knew Iraq Had No WMD
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Politician Busted for Philippine Massacre

Powerful family blamed for murder of 57

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|NEXT STORY »

Aussie Town Bans Bottled Water

By Rob Quinn| Posted Jul 9, 09 4:17 AM CDT|

(Newser) – A small New South Wales village has become the first community in the world to ban the sale of bottled water, the BBC reports. Bundanoon officials, who say bottled water wastes huge amounts of resources in packaging and transportation, were moved to act when they realized a bottled water company planned to tap the town's underground reservoir, bottle the water hundreds of miles away, and sell it back to them.

Bundanoon's storekeepers unanimously agreed to stop selling bottled water, and will instead sell reusable bottles that can be refilled at the town's water fountains. At a town meeting of 356 people, only two voted against the ban. One was worried that the ban would encourage more people to turn to sugary drinks. The other was a rep from the bottled water industry.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

A Gaerman backpacker drinks bottled water in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

A woman walks past a street stall selling bottled water in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

We believe Bundanoon is the world's first town that has got its retailers to ban bottled water. - Anti-bottled water campaigner John Dee

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24 comments

VIEWING:

oldgoat
Jul 9, 09 4:22 AM CDT

I fail to see the logic in bottled water and would be OK with laws that would curb the use of them, but sometimes I can see where it would be handy. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Fondue
Jul 9, 09 7:35 AM CDT

I'm torn about it as well. I can see it's use and purpose, but there is just too much of it, and if all they are doing is re-selling me water I can get out of my tap, then why bother. Just take the extra effort to filter and bottle your own at home.

| 0 minutes ago

vwsmurfy
Jul 9, 09 4:23 AM CDT

Yeah, lets just ban everything that we don't like. What a way to run the world. Reply

-14

IN RESPONSE:

armywife
Jul 9, 09 6:54 AM CDT

they arent banning bottled water because they 'dont like it". they voted to not sell it in their town because they dont want to have to pay some third party for their own damn water. did you even read the article? even the summary of it?

IN RESPONSE:

Fondue
Jul 9, 09 7:36 AM CDT

They are smurfing the water from the town's water supply and re-smurfing it back to them.

IN RESPONSE:

LuxAeterna
Jul 9, 09 7:38 AM CDT

It's a shame I can only down-rate you once. Idiot.

| 0 minutes ago

vwsmurfy
Jul 9, 09 4:24 AM CDT

Yeah, lets just ban everything we don't like. Reply

-14

IN RESPONSE:

kokuaguy
Jul 9, 09 5:30 AM CDT

Why didn't you try to make your point a third time-- you might have magically said something sensible.

IN RESPONSE:

LuxAeterna
Jul 9, 09 7:39 AM CDT

Oh. Looks I CAN down-rate you some more. You're still an idiot.

| 0 minutes ago

andre.red
Jul 9, 09 4:50 AM CDT

Cool move.. lets not ignorantly keep consuming products that are HUGELY wasteful and inefficient. We drink water not plastic.. and as long as there aren't viable alternatives to bottles we'll keep pumping out plastic at a crazy rate. i live in Dubai and we only drink bottled water. I'm ashamed of how much plastic I discard. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Fondue
Jul 9, 09 7:38 AM CDT

From what I've read, you're wasting more than just plastic in Dubai. Honestly, and no offense, you should be ashamed of even living there. Just an opinion.

-1

IN RESPONSE:

Yourself
Jul 9, 09 10:16 AM CDT

if you're ashamed of the plastic you discard, then why do you live in one of the most wasteful cities in the world? it costs Dubai FAR more money to create potable drinking water then it does to produce oil. I'm sorry to say, but a city in the desert with NO water makes NO sense. then again, that might explain why Dubai's economy is falling apart. I know i know, you'll say it's not, but people in a place tend to be naive and ignorant to their own surroundings.

-1

IN RESPONSE:

anchower
Jul 9, 09 10:04 PM CDT

Jesus Christ. Two Americans--citizens of the most wasteful country on Earth--ganging up on a Dubai resident? Give the hypocrisy a rest, Fondue, ZeroThreeQuarter.

| 0 minutes ago

IndependentThinker
Jul 9, 09 10:27 AM CDT

Fondue... you live in America right?...waste.... America..... Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Fondue
Jul 9, 09 10:42 AM CDT

This from an Angeleno.

IN RESPONSE:

Yourself
Jul 9, 09 10:57 AM CDT

Fondue FTW on this one. +1

-1

| 0 minutes ago

Karl
Jul 9, 09 11:24 AM CDT

Tap water has chlorine and feces in it. If you are OK with that then simply drink from the potty, OK? Reply

-2

IN RESPONSE:

Fondue
Jul 9, 09 12:38 PM CDT

Something to think about; bottled water has an expiration date. Some info: http://www.communitywater.com/core/content_tapvsbottled.htm --- http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/DrWater/drinkingwater.php#Overview --- http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/13/health/he-nutrition13

IN RESPONSE:

Mad
Jul 9, 09 1:36 PM CDT

They add chlorine to treat any pathogen, including the feces you insist is in your drinking water

IN RESPONSE:

Mad
Jul 9, 09 1:45 PM CDT

Oh, and I'm sure you realize, the water that fills your toilet is also coming out of your kitchen sink. So, yeah, you're drinking from the toilet

IN RESPONSE:

lasty58
Jul 9, 09 5:33 PM CDT

Don't know where you live mad, but in my home the water from the toilet bowl does not end up in the kitchen sink...

IN RESPONSE:

WallyEFunk
Jul 9, 09 8:09 PM CDT

You for real? I guess U are. Yes , some stuff is in ALL the foods we eat or drink, we shouldn't have in it , WELCOME to the cicle of life...... MMmm and were only been around millions of years. WOW. how does that happen? Hope U live in a country U can stop polution getting in Ur water. In other words America.

IN RESPONSE:

anchower
Jul 9, 09 10:08 PM CDT

Fondue, bottled water has an expiration date for the sole reasons that New Jersey used to require all foods and beverages to have expiration dates, and that manufacturers of bottled water found it cheaper to label all bottles and not just the ones they sent to New Jersey. New Jersey has since lifted the requirement, but manufacturers continue to print expiration dates. See http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/26866

IN RESPONSE:

anchower
Jul 9, 09 10:14 PM CDT

Oh, and Karl? Aquafina and Dasani are nothing but (feces- and chlorine-ridden) tap water. And if you think even Poland Spring is nothing but hydrogen and oxygen, you're incredibly naive.

| 0 minutes ago

View all 24 comments »

environment • bottled water • Australia • water

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