One Redditor couldn't help but notice a glaring problem with the way their local 7-Eleven stored its bottled water.
Recent research has revealed that plastic water bottles are extremely harmful to people and the planet. They leak a carcinogen called antimony that ends up in the water, and the bottles cause planet-warming pollution at every stage of their life.
What's more, most of them end up sitting in a landfill, with studies showing that only 5% of plastics get recycled in the U.S.
But it's even worse when the bottles heat up.
"Y'all still drink bottled waters?" this Redditor asked, sharing a photo of pallet upon pallet of water left to bake in the sunlight.
"Been incredibly hot this week, today 98 degrees, and couldn't help but notice these waters getting torched by the sun! There's no way this is not getting bleached by the plastic," the Redditor said.
In a comment, they added, "Feel bad for the people that are going to end up buying these."
This Redditor aimed to highlight that heating many kinds of plastic can cause it to release toxic chemicals more quickly than at room temperature. Bottles left in the sun like this are much more dangerous than those kept refrigerated or in the shade.
Yet many said this seems like a common practice. Another Redditor claimed they recently saw the same situation outside a Safeway. Across the country, supermarkets and convenience stores pile water and other drinks outside without considering the heat.
"Whoever decided to put those there is [ignorant]," one enraged commenter said. "That's bottled cancer now."
Rather than using single-use bottles that are toxic and difficult to recycle, buyers can save money and protect their health with a reusable water bottle. These bottles can save you a shockingly large sum of money each year.
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