The Life Cycle of a Plastic Bottle
The average American consumes 167 bottles of water each year. There are many steps involved
in making a bottle of water and throughout the process many natural resources are used. Make a
note of how many times the bottle is transported throughout the process and remember that
transportation also uses gasoline and releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the air which
contributes to air pollution.
First, the oil is extracted
from the earth
Then the oil is cleaned
at the refinery
The bottles are ready for you so
they are transported to the store.
At a plastics factory the oil is
transformed into plastic pellets
then bottle pre-forms.
The bottles are brought to
the bottling plant where they
are filled with water.
Most of the plastic bottles are thrown in the trash and end up in landfills.
You purchase
the bottle of
water and
bring it to
your house.
Some are recycled and brought to a factory that turns them into other items
like carpet, fleece and other plastic items. Eventually, those items are
disposed of in the trash and also end up in the landfill.
The pre-forms are
heated and shaped
into bottles.
Water Bottle Facts: Did you know...?
Americans buy an
estimated 29.8 billion
plastic water bottles
every year.
On average, each
American consumes 167
bottles of water a year.
80% of our bottles
are not recycled –
they end up in the
landfill or are
incinerated with
other regular
trash.
Each year 17
million barrels of oil
are used to make
the plastic for the
bottles – that’s
enough to fuel 1
million cars for a
year!
More than 2.5
million tons of
carbon dioxide (a
greenhouse gas)
are released in the
production of
plastic bottles.
Each year 16.4
billion gallons of
water are used to
make the plastic for
the bottles – that’s
not including the
water used to fill
the bottles!
At least 40%
of bottled
water comes
from the
tap!
YOU can help
by using
reusable
water
bottles.
All plastic that is
used for food and
drink is brand new
plastic – for health
reasons we cannot
use recycled
plastic.
What is saved if YOU don’t use plastic water bottles?
Water - The average American consumes 167 bottles of water each year. (Assume 16 ounce (oz)
bottles which is 0.125 gallons)
Gallons of water I drink each year
167 water bottles X 0.125 gallons = __________ gallons
Water used to make bottled water three times as much as the volume
a person drinks
_________ X 3 = __________ gallons
Oil – is used to make and transport plastic. The amount of oil used to make plastic and transport
one bottle of water is equivalent to filling the water bottle ¼ full of oil.
Oil used to make each bottle
16 oz bottle X ¼ = ___________ oz of oil
Oil used for all bottles
________ oz X 167 bottles = _________ oz of oil
Oil used (gallons)
_________ oz of oil ÷ 128 oz/gallon = ________ gallons of oil
Equivalent gallons of gasoline
(one 42 gallon barrel of oil makes
21 gallons of gasoline)
________ gallons of oil ÷ 2 = __________ gallons of gasoline
Carbon Dioxide (air pollution) - is produced from the factories that make the oil into bottles and is
emitted from the vehicles that transport the bottles. Making 5 bottles of water produces a total of
about 1 pound of CO2 released into the air.
Pounds of CO2 into the air
167 water bottles ÷ 5 oz = ___________ pounds of CO2
Money – if a bottle of water costs about $1.25, how much can you and your family save each year?
Cost saving for me each year
167 bottles X $1.25 = $____________
Cost savings for your family
$___________ X ____________ = ____________
Summary – Use your calculations to complete the following statements.
By not using water bottles, I can save
____________ gallons of water.
___________ gallons of oil
___________ gallons of gasoline.
___________ pounds of carbon dioxide pollution from entering the air.
___________ dollars and my family would save $______________ .
Action:
Using what you now know, brainstorm a message for fellow students about the need for reducing
water bottle use. The message can be communicated by poster, a cartoon, a comic strip, a poem,
a song or rap. Have fun, but get the message across!