Comments on: Forever in a landfill …. https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:53:31 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.8 By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549487 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:53:31 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549487 I once called Britta about fluoride and they told me that their filter does not remove it.

]]> By: catgirl https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549486 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:34:27 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549486 I used to live in a place that had terrible-tasting water (I’ve never worried about the safety of my water, in this country at least). I got a Britta filter, and it was just fine. Personally, I’d rather buy a pack of filters than lug gallons of water up to my apartment anyway.

I moved about 18 months ago, and I haven’t even bothered to change my filter since. The water tastes fine straight from the tap, but I use the pitcher to store water in the refrigerator.

I have wondered though: does anyone know if filters also remove fluoride from the water? My teeth really need the fluoride, so I might just buy a cheap pitcher with no filter.

]]> By: Rob https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549485 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:07:17 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549485 It isn’t just bacteria that filters remove. In fact, with chlorinated tap water, that’s the least of your worries. The filters remove heavy metals, organics such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc., and chlorine. Some even remove viruses.

We use a Pur filter on our bar sink for all drinking water. It makes the water taste great.

Plastic bottles leach organic plasticizers into the water. Some of these have adverse effects on weight gain.

Bottled water is one of the most serious environmental threats that exist.

]]> By: Mike Haubrich, FCD https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549484 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:27:40 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549484 I have a pitcher with a filter. I have had the same pitcher and the same filter for 7 years. Now, I live in a place where we have a filter from the faucet (new) and a pitcher that we pour said water into (from one of the towns with high-rated water quality.) When I make coffee, it goes through another filter.

If bacteria make through that gauntlet, they deserve to make me sick.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549483 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:02:05 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549483 Every year a certain number of people living in Minneapolis (usually newcommers) switch from tap to bottle because they think the water went bad. Many don’t switch back.

]]> By: Stephanie Z https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549482 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:57:46 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549482 I should note that our filter isn’t there because we’re concerned about the quality of our water. It’s there because our water comes from the river and is thus very susceptible to seasonal taste variations (decomposing leaves in spring and fall and algae blooms in the summer). It’s also on a separate tap, so it only gets used when flavor matters. I don’t think we’ve replaced it since we put it on its own tap two years ago.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549481 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:26:03 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549481 I was not exaggerating when I said 18 months! Our water that comes out of the tap is very very clean. The filter does nothing. Having the britta does two things; Lets us run the water for a moment to get past the leaded high test stuff in the faucett the put a lot of clean water in a container (instead of doing that with every glass) and it makes nice cold water because the britta is in the fridge.

The filter is just where our friendly bacteria live, and they seem to like us.

]]> By: MartyM https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549480 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:20:10 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549480 I used to buy bottled water, for traveling to visit my girlfriend before we got married. For a wedding gift, my wife and I got a Brita Filter Pitcher. It’s been the best thing and I no longer buy water. I’m glad to know there’s a place to recycle the filters. But like Greg, we replace it once every 4-5 months it seems.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549479 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:49:26 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549479 We use a britta filter but we change it about once every 18 months. All drinking water is passed through an acid-based purifier (stomach) before entering the blood stream.

]]> By: chris https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549478 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:45:21 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/10/27/forever-in-a-landfill/#comment-549478 I was going to post essentially what Stephanie posted. We use Brita filters and I send them back all the time, since there is not a drop off collection point nearby. I also send my #5 plastic, things like yogurt and cottage cheese tubs, the lids from peanut butter jars (some of them, not all), etc.

Since she beat me to that, I’ll just pimp for closing the circle by suggesting that people check out Preserve and maybe consider buying some of their stuff. I use the toothbrushes and razors, and have bought the flatware to have on hand at work (when I’m not unemployed) so I don’t have to use a disposable fork at the company pot luck. All of the products of theirs that I’ve used have been great, and are highly recommended.

http://www.preserveproducts.com/products/index.html

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