Environmental Effects of Plastic Water Bottles - Essay Example

Research shows that approximately 18 million barrels of oil are used every year to manufacture plastic bottles in the US. It is also estimated that almost 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide are generated from the production process. Other studies indicate that approximately 3 billion of plastic bottles are disposed of in the landfill. Less than 15% of the plastic bottles are recycled. As a result, the disposal cost for plastic waste is estimated at $100 million inclusive of the transport, collection, and litter removal cost.

According to Dobkin, & Weigand, recycling of plastic bottles will ensure that the funds used for disposal are directed to more pressing issues such as the maintenance of public water infrastructure.Despite the availability of recycling infrastructures for plastic bottles, according to Hopewell, Dvorak, & Kosior, (2009), 85% of the plastic water bottles still end up in the landfills. Approximately 20 billion plastic bottles are disposed of in the landfills. Each plastic bottle takes up over 500 years to decompose.

The landfills are not only filled with plastic bottles, Li, et al., suggests that over 20 billion glass bottles that never decomposes also end up in the landfills. The chemical compounds used to manufacture the plastic bottles can have devastating effects on the human health. Studies show that plastic bottles used by most households are commonly made from polycarbonate compound. The compounds are usually released in the liquid stored in the container.