Single-Use Plastic Water Bottle Survey

The objective of the 6-question survey we conducted was for us to understand your use of single-use plastic water bottles and to compare present-day usage to the survey we conducted in April 2019. The survey received 114 responses and was conducted in Northern California, with a small percentage of participants from across the United States. Comparing these results to the 2019 survey, we found significant improvements and takeaways.

How many are used:

Compared to the 16.5% in 2019, the percentage of households not using these bottles has doubled to about 33%. This is encouraging to see! However, 50% of households remain using 1-15 per month. To many, this amount may not seem like enough to cause significant harm. However, this amount will surely add up over time, polluting our air, oceans, and even our bodies. Click here to read more about the ill effects of single-use plastic water bottles.

Where they are bought:

Over 65% of households surveyed said they get their single-use plastic water bottles from Costco, a large retail company in the US that uses Kirkland as its brand name. This is even larger than the 60% in 2019. People buy from Costco because items are cheap and come in bulk. If Costco increased prices or stopped selling single-use plastic water bottles, consumption would go down significantly. People would have to resort to other grocery stores where the bottles are more expensive and typically sold in smaller quantities, which many people would not be ready to opt for. This would be a massive step in the right direction towards reducing single-use plastic water bottle consumption.

Sizes:

The most commonly used size is 16.9 ounces. This is the optimal size to use because, per our findings, the 16.9 oz size uses the least plastic per ounce of water contained. This is a significant improvement from 2019, when the most commonly used size was 8oz. See our blog post with more info on bottle sizes and the amount of plastic used.

Why people use:

Just like in 2019, people today use single-use plastic bottles the most for traveling. This shows that they are not for everyday use, which is good, but they can still be eliminated in travel with many solutions. Just carry a reusable water bottle!

Recycling:

Compared to 54% in 2019, the proportion of households that said they always recycle single-use plastic water bottles has decreased slightly to about 51%. However, the number that said they recycle frequently increased by about 5%. This indicates that there has not been a significant change in recycling habits since 2019. While it is important to change our recycling habits, we should keep in mind that a majority of plastic that goes in the recycling bin does not end up truly recycled. An OECD report from 2022 said that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, while 22% is mismanaged. Although it may seem that using and then recycling a single-use plastic water bottle won’t lead to much environmental harm, that is simply false. Although recycling does help, the most effective method is simply using a reusable water bottle instead.

Call To Action:

For Us:

• Learn more about why people answered what they did

• Urge people to switch to reusable water bottles

• Urge people to recycle single-use plastic water bottles if they still buy them.

For You:

• Use a reusable water bottle instead of single-use plastic water bottles

• If you still buy single-use plastic water bottles, always recycle

• Use the 16.9oz bottle size to reduce the amount of plastic used