Plastic water bottles contribute to the growing climate crisis by requiring millions of barrels of oil to be used in their production as well as leeching tons of toxic fumes into the air as they are manufactured. Bottles are one of the most prominent litters as they are scoured across beaches and parks. Only 1/3 of plastic bottles are recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills, unable to decompose and the majority of plastic bottles that are recycled end up on cycling through once before ending up at landfills anyway. A bottled water tax would increase the price of these bottles driving the demand for them down and decreasing pollution while simultaneously promoting the usage of reusable water bottles and tap water.
