2.5 Conclusions

In conclusion, it is the individual citizen who must make the difference: one cannot remain indifferent to the fact that a family of three individuals, consuming an average of one and a half liter bottles per year, consumes 35 kg of Pet plastic, 70 kg of oil, 600 liters of process water, 80 kg of carbon dioxide CO2; in terms of atmospheric emissions, the numbers jump to 1400 grams of hydrocarbons, 875 g of sulfur oxide, 630 grams of carbon monoxide.

You have to try in your own small way to make the difference!

In fact, these consumptions could be completely eliminated only by choosing the water from the aqueduct, not only at home, but also in public offices, schools, companies, canteens (school and corporate) where water jugs could take the place of industrial bottles. Furthermore, by adopting the pro-aqueduct option, a family of 3 would save up to around 700 euros a year, while a company with 100 employees could generate annual savings of a minimum of 10,000 to a maximum of 30,000 euros . Then, calculating the impact of road transport of bottled water, often produced from miles away from the actual purchase locations, it appears that the journey of a single bottle of water from the producer to the retailer involves the consumption of about 6 liters of diesel fuel per year. It is no coincidence that increasing the use of tap water is at the center of the changes taking place in European legislation, from the Plastic Strategy to the recent proposal to revise the directive on drinking water with at least a 17% reduction in water consumption in plastic bottle and a consequent saving for European families of at least 600 million euros per year.