New film exposes downsides of bottled water

    A new documentary film released in Philadelphia today is critical of bottled water industry. It premieres as the city and some local restaurants are phasing out bottled water. WHYY’s Peter Crimmins reports.

    A new documentary film released in Philadelphia today is critical of bottled water industry. It premieres as the city and some local restaurants are phasing out bottled water. WHYY’s Peter Crimmins reports.

    headphonesListen to the mp3 »

     

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    Transcript:

    You won’t find bottled water at meetings in City Hall. Over the summer Mayor Nutter signed a resolution with 13 other mayors to use tap water instead of commercially bottled water. The municipal water department is required to keep the city’s water at standards set by the Enviroinmental Protection Agency. Water commercially bottled for retail is beholden to Food and Drug Administration standards. Bill Toffey of the Mayor’s Office for Sustainability says EPA standards are higher, but few people realize that.

    Toffey: “But one that has happened is we haven’t brought the public along for their apprereciation of the quality water. What we have found is a persistant – and for me a sad fact that many residents in Phila do not trust the water that comes out of the tap”.

    Many restaurants across the country and some here in Philadelphia have stopped serving bottled water. Judy Wicks, owner of the White Dog Cafe in University City, says it was the restaurant industry that sparked the bottled water industry.

    Wicks: “You go into a trendy restaurant and they’re serving bottled water and you get with the trend. The restaurant business started this trend. So I feel it’s up to the restaurant business to start a new trend.”

    The American Beverage Association says bottled water is held to standards at least as stringent as tap water, and empty bottles account for less than one percent of all waste in the country. Peter Crimmins, WHYY news.

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal