7.7bn water bottles are used in UK every year

BRITISH adults will use nearly 7.7billion single-use plastic water bottles this year – more than 170 each, experts claimed yesterday.

Nearly one in three people (30 per cent) admits to using bottled water at home, adding to the mountain of plastic pollution, according to a survey by One-Poll.

The new research has found a growing trend of bottled water consumption among UK children. On average, more than one in five (22 per cent) of four to 18-yearolds drink mainly bottled water rather than tap water, despite it being cheaper.

This figure is much higher in some UK regions, according to research by the Marine Conservation Society, which is highlighting the damaging effects of using single-use plastic bottles on the environment, along with the water filter company Brita.

Nearly two-fifths of children in Northern Ireland (37 per cent)

‘They’re a menace to wildlife’

drink mainly bottled water, compared to 12.3 per cent of children in Yorkshire and Humberside.

In the north-west of England the figure is higher than anywhere else, with 38 per cent drinking mainly bottled water.

More than half of UK adults (54 per cent) say they would consider using more tap water generally to lessen environmental pollution. A third of people buy bottled water but believe they are not contributing to pollution as they recycle.

Bottled water sales grew by 25 per cent in volume between 2010 and 2015, according to market research by Mintel last month.

Dr Sue Kinsey, senior pollution policy officer at the Marine Conservation Society said: ‘Single use plastic water bottles in the seas and on coasts are a menace to wildlife, particularly as they start to break down. They add to the microplastic load of the oceans and can be eaten by animals at all stages of the food chain.

‘It takes 162g of oil and seven litres of water to manufacture a single one-litre disposable bottle, amounting to the release of 100g of carbon dioxide. This means single use plastic bottles significantly contribute to pollution, even if subsequently recycled.’