If you're a savvy shopper, you likely know that buying bottled water is unhealthy and bad for the planet. However, the one thing worse than drinking bottled water is simply throwing it away. Unfortunately, a Walmart worker recently shed light on how the chain is doing exactly that.
What's happening?
A Reddit user who claims to work for Walmart recently posted an image from the back room of a pile of water bottles, totaling gallons of water, waiting to be discarded.
"Corporate says we're not allowed to drink this so we have to throw it away," the Redditor complained. They also claimed Walmart was "forcing us to dump gallons of perfectly good water every day."
Why is this water waste important?
As the original poster pointed out, "There are plenty of places, in our own country alone, that are having a serious water crisis and here Walmart is just throwing this s*** in the trash." They added, "This needs to be made public."
Droughts in California, Arizona, Colorado, and elsewhere in the United States are having a dramatic impact. Many people are facing water restrictions and soaring water prices. Sadly, large corporations don't seem to be stepping up to reduce water waste.
To add insult to injury, the plastic bottles left behind after dumping the water create their own problems. Plastic waste sheds harmful microplastics, which pollute soil and water and may end up being swallowed by people with unknown health effects. Meanwhile, the plastic material can take a century or more to break down, so it will sit in a landfill or remain as litter the entire time.
Is Walmart doing anything about this?
Walmart has been called out many times in the past for throwing away products that workers and community members would like to buy or donate.
However, it also prides itself on initiatives to reduce waste and recycle discarded products. According to the company website, as of 2020, the company had diverted over 80% of its global food waste from landfills and incineration, as well as donating 627 million pounds of food in the U.S.
What can I do about water waste?
The more people buy reusable water bottles and refill them at home, the less incentive Walmart and other corporations will have to sell bottled water at all — hopefully leading to fewer wasted bottles as companies stop putting them on the shelves. That also means less plastic waste going to landfills or entering the environment.
Meanwhile, there are a number of ways to reduce water waste at home. You can switch from water-guzzling grass to a native plant lawn, which uses species that have adapted to the natural rainfall in your region and don't need extra water.
You can also install water-saving appliances and fixtures indoors. Not only is all of this good for the environment, but it's also great for your bank account, as you'll be reducing monthly utility bills.
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