As a part of my effort to live to 100 (or at least into my 90's), I decided to clean up my water act. No more tap water for me! But bottled water's environmental footprint makes it an unacceptable alternative. Time to buy a pitcher with a filter to get rid of those nasty impurities.
I was thrilled to be able to purchase a Brita pitcher with a green cover! Very appropriate for one as ecologically enlightened as me! However, as I studied my new filtering pitcher, I could not help but notice that it is made of very thick plastic. The better not to break, of course. Lighter than glass, I'm sure. Reusable for many seasons certainly. And, Brita even has a recycling program for the filters. I'm sort of an anti-plastic person, but sometimes it cannot be avoided, I suppose...
I studied the packaging of my new earth friendly product. I tossed the sturdy cardboard box into the recycling bin. Then, I turned the molded plastic part of the packaging over in my hands. Horrified, I realized that this overly large, overly molded, excessive bit of packaging is PVC! Resin ID code number 3! PVC is problem plastic.
PVC doesn't get recycled due to high chlorine content. PVC that can't be incinerated because it spews dioxins. This plastic that often contains softeners (phthalates) that are hormone disrupting compounds.
The use of PVC plastic packaging in a "green" product from a "green" company is disturbing. Could it be that Brita just uses the "green" label because it's a convenient marketing tool?
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