Employee stunned by actions of entitled co-worker: 'This is my pet peeve'

An employee sparked outrage on the r/Anticonsumption subreddit by sharing their co-worker's wasteful behavior.

The employee shared a picture of three half-full plastic water bottles, writing, "Every day, my coworker grabs another bottled water, takes a few drinks and leaves it."

Many Redditors commented on the co-worker's wastefulness and gave advice to the employee on how to stop or reduce it. 

"Get them a cheap water bottle," wrote one commenter, while another urged them to "think about getting some plants for the workspace and use the bits of leftover water for the plants."

Plastic water bottles generate a lot of waste. According to Beyond Plastic, 1 million bottles of water are bought around the world every minute and only a third are recycled.

Tap water is safe to drink in much of the United States, so buying a reusable water bottle could help you reduce waste and save money. 

In addition to being cheaper, drinking tap water from a reusable water bottle could also be better for your health. Researchers at Columbia University have found that bottled water contains a disturbing amount of nanoplastics. The study detected as many as 240,000 particles in a liter of water, and they could be leaching into our blood, brain, and other organs. 

Small plastic particles have already been found all over the human body, and there is concern that they could be linked to several health issues, including cancer. 

Small acts such as using reusable water bottles, containers, and shopping bags and saying no to plastic straws can reduce the amount of plastic waste we generate, which also reduces microplastics in the environment.

Do you worry about the quality of the air inside your home? Yes — often 😬 Yes — but only sometimes 😕 Only when it's bad outside 😮‍💨 No — I never do 😌 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Several commenters shared their frustration with the post, with one writing: "I'm muting this subreddit. I was hoping to get sustainability tips, not cancer."

"This is my pet peeve," wrote another.

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