Do you use bottled water as your main source of drinking water?
A recent survey has discovered that approximately 15 per cent of Australians primarily use bottled water as their main source of drinking water at home.
More than 1000 Australian adults from across Australia were surveyed, with 15 per cent saying that more than 80 per cent of their at home drinking water was purchased bottle water.
When the same respondents were asked why they chose to buy water bottles, the majority said they trusted the quality and preferred the taste of bottled water.
According to the survey, the main (80 per cent or more) water source that Australian household are drinking are:
- Tap water 56.6%
- Filtered water 23.1%
- Still bottled water 15.4%
- Sparkling water 2.8%
- Other 2.1%
Can you believe so many Australians drink bottled water at home? Do you drink bottled water at home? Do you drink water straight from the tap or do you filter it first?
Agree Hola. For me water is the best drink. Tap water tastes good here and is fine for me though it is fluoridated. A natural spring up the back paddock, in youth, was my absolute favourite. I very seldom drink bottled water (and don't like the thought of the throwaway component of that) yet marvel at how nice some are (particularly the italian ones)
On Cordial. The various Bickford's Lime cordials do it for me. We never had it as kids but rare visits to an uncles place left me with a definte taste taken up again at latish age. Still, a bottle seems to last a good year.
Water wasn't so hot when possums or frogs managed to use the tanks as coffins.
I can remember when I went with a girlfriend to Adelaide in the 60's and stayed with some friends. I nearly died when I tasted their water and it even had a little tadpole in it. They said they had bore water, I certainly hope things have changed in 2019. It was dreadful.
Hey Hola, I grew up in Adelaide and lived there for 43 years. When I was a kid we had a very bad drought and the water was so bad mum started using cordial until Dad put in a water tank. Tank water when treated proerly should never had squigglies, and neither should bore water. The tap water in Adelaide has always been poor quality, not sure what its like now as I have lived in Brisbane for the past 11 years. I cant stand the taste of tap water, even cold water. I have to drink it cold or I get bad indigestion. I perfer bottled water that are made from recycled materials which can be recylcled again.
A sign of stupidity is people buying water when our water is the cleanest in the world. If it is a matter of the additives then let the water stand for a day and the gases will be removed of their own accord.
This is people with too much money to spend and I have to wonder if it might be the same cohort who complain about never enough money.
Do you have to be so blunty and call us stupid? It is a mater of choice. And if I have the extra cents I'd rather spend 'em on water then the coffee at the corner bar (never!) or a cold beer at the pub (never!)...
Don't be stupid mate....
Spend your money on whatever you wish. Your call.
It is however blatant stupidity to spend money on what is essentially free. WHERE do you think the bottled water comes from? From some mysterious Spring in the desert? It's the same water we all drink dummy!
Instead of being insulted wise up and act more responsibly. Then you won't need to complain about lack of money after you retire. Cheers
Actually Mick the cleanest water in the world is in Vienna Austria where it comes down from the pure water in the alps. Ive been there and lived on it for a week, and yes it is a whole heap better than our water. Trouble is Mick we live in a free society and we can choose to live off of whatever we want. Your opinion is just that and it is neither right nor wrong as my opinion is just that as is neither right nor wrong.
I drink tap water and on the rare occasion I buy bottled water is when I forget to take my water bottle with me.
I keep a bottle of carbonated water in the fridge for a fizzy alternative though, and indulge in a mini can of coke sometimes.
I buy sparkling mineral water for 69 cents a litre and a half the unit. Then I spread it into 5 little bottles easy to carry. Cheaper...
Tap water has chemicals in it to prevent tooth decay but you can get rid of most of those by letting it stand on the bench for a day and then put it in the fridge. It works.
Tap water contains fluoride. Fluoride is a soluble metal salt that is found naturally in all water sources. Since it is a trace element, it cannot be eliminated by exposure. Allowing the water to stand will NOT remove it and boiling the water will concentrate it. Best to just drink it cold, if the taste bothers you. Do you have to have everything spelt out to you Mick???
Hang about Reagan....So rainwater contains fluoride? Strangely always thought rainwater was devoid of fluoride....
Also think there was controversy/debate in full swing some years ago about adding fluoride to drinking water in some parts of Oz - can’t recall where - in order to prevent tooth decay in children and think the dental profession had quite a lot to say...Whilst others argued it was not a good idea to mess with our water supply by adding chemicals ie. fluoride.
You assume a tone of authority of this one ...so ask how much fluoride is found naturally in all water sources?
Given I’d always thought it was added to water supplies throughout the country, I’m getting the impression that ‘naturally occurring fluoride’ as is your claim - would be minuscule.
Use ya noggin, of course the amount is not great that's why more is added to drinking water. The main source of rainwater is ocean water and evaporation from the leaves of plants. This evaporation happens mainly in the agricultural lands, wetlands etc So technically it is all ground water. That's your lot!!!! If you want to know more read more, OK????
Why so angry!
But still not quite sure whether or not rainwater would contain naturally occurring fluoride?
I mean rain falling from the sky into one of those large plastic type moulded tanks they use these days,rather than the old fashioned metal tanks of yesteryear - perhaps would not contain fluoride even as a trace element, given it falls straight from the sky to the tank, and doesn’t make contact with rocks or stone or earth or whatever?
I’m comfortable to own my ignorance on this topic, you’re the bloke assuming the role of authority ‘in all things water and fluoride’ - not me!
Thus fluoride is NOT found naturally in all water sources given rainwater is a water source.
Reagan m’boy you are Korreck! Natural fluoride is present at low concentration in most fresh and saltwater sources. It can also be found in rain water that washes fluoride particles from the atmosphere. Thanks to industries, general pollution and so on, rain water is not as pure as some think. Sure if a cloud hangs directly over your rain water tank and has a good pee, doesn’t mean to say you’re safe because you’re not getting fluoride.
Bacteria can thrive in water tanks and toxic metal traces like arsenic and nickel have been found, so secure covering etc should be used. Boiling and filtering rain water before use will keep you alive but with the absence of fluoride, teeth may fall out. Doesn’t matter how secure though, the mozzies can still get in and spread disease. Ignore fugley.
Fluoride in its natural form is not harmful to your health. However artificial fluoride, which is added to water, can contain by-product substances such as fluorosilicic acid, sodium silicofluoride and sodium fluoride. It is these that can be detrimental to your overall well-being and cause the most common side affect of excess fluoride consumption; dental fluorosis and the pitting (staining) of your teeth.
As mentioned Australian authorities have deemed that 1.5mg of fluoride per litre of water is a safe level to avoid any side affects however, it’s worth noting that the world's leading health organisation – the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommends a level of 0.7mg per litre as the ideal balance for maintaining oral health, whilst avoiding any unwanted issues.
Abe,
Well not too sure why I’ve been referred to as ‘fugley’ short I understand for ‘f..king ugly’ guess it was because I asked questions of Reagan...
There is something, Sophie, about carbonated water that makes it sometimes a delicacy like a good champagne. I have very little of either but at least delude myself into believing I recognise the value.
Hola, bored water has become the norm for a great many towns and some cities throughout Australia. To me, some tastes OK some pretty much as you described. I don't think Adelaide water has advanced a lot taste-wise since my first (early 70's) and recent visit...perhaps a bit. Hate to think what what will happen to so many towns a long way from the sea when/if the water table (which we have wontonly abused for over a century) drops radically.
I have a water filter/cooler unit which delivers iced water on demand and it's one of the best investments I have made. Just fill when necessary with ordinary tap water and sample the refreshing result within a short time. It holds approximately 20 litres and requires a replacement filter (less than $20) about every six months. I will buy bottled water when traveling but not for use at home. I agree with others that Australia has very good quality water but the taste does vary from place to place. We had our own bore in our last house, but because the location was in limestone country the water really, really needed filtering to reduce the high calcium content and protect the plumbing fittings! In our current home we have a large water salt treatment unit fitted to the house to reduce the calcium content and this also helps a lot. I think if we didn't have the filtering systems I would probably buy a reasonable quantity of bottled drinking water.
I use a SodaStream to get the carbonated water - based on tap water. Gives you the bubbles at about the same price as the supermarket bottles but without the plastic waste. Never use cordial or Coke/pepsi type drinks.
I drink tap water most of the time but for a more refreshing drink in Summer, I use soda water flavoured with fruit juice.
In the 1980s I lived for a couple of years in a small town in SE Queensland where the town tap water was almost undrinkable, thus just about everyone drank rainwater tank water...
The water was safe to drink but the taste was not pleasant. Likewise you could wash clothes and bathe in it, but again people preferred to use tank water in their cooking...
Love the taste of rain water, but over the years at times have worried somewhat about what falls into water tanks which may contaminate water....I mean birds, insects, leaves etc. etc But can’t recall actually becoming ill from drinking tank water and we didn’t seem to boil it or anything...
Think I drank bore water when we lived for a time in western Queensland in the early 1960s..
Anyone recall something like hessian water bags? Can vaguely recall a hessian water bag type vessel hanging in the breeze from a veranda peg, the water was cool and tasted great on a scorching hot day where you couldn’t walk on bitumen and even dusty footpaths seemed pretty hot underfoot...
Lots of calcium in the SE qld water. I don't think it helped with Kidney Stones.
Shetso1 - I can remember as a child our next door neighbour had a hessian bag hanging from the front bumper bar of his old Austin car. He said it was there in case the radiator ran dry and for people to drink on a hot day, he said the water was very cold and tasty.
Actually have read somewhere about the hessian water bag hanging from the front of the car arrangement..
And yes strangely the water did taste great....
I'm with you Mindy, I use Sodastream and find it the most refreshing drink of all. Just plain water from an ontap filter(our tap water tastes a bit muddy). Better than a beer really!
I mainly drink water from the rainwater tank. I cannot stand the chemicals they put in our tap water.
When we used to have an aquarium in the lounge room and had to clean it out, the man at the pet shop told us to just syphon off the rubbish at the bottom of the tank and keep a couple of buckets of fresh water handy (but to let it stand for 24 hours) so the flouride could evaporate. Thus the fish weren't affected.
I drank tap water for 30 years, rainwater from a tank for the next 20 years and tap water again for the past 20 years. The tank water tasted the best but I don’t mind tap water either. Can’t say I have suffered any ill effects from either source. Have only used bottle water when travelling. I can’t see the point of using it in Australia.
Bottled water is such an environmental disaster and companies like Nestle are ripping small towns off with using their water supplies, it is a real rort. Bottled water has been known to contain plastics and chemicals absorbed from the bottles, they get this when the sun hits them which often happens during deliveries.
Stop buying bottled water and put a filter on your taps, it pays off itself in no time.
There's nothing nicer than a cold glass of water. I do keep Sparkling Mineral Water in the fridge also. I have two friends who don't drink any kind of water unless it's flavoured with cordial.