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I used to be proud of the fact that I bought bottled water. But it didn't take me long to realize that all of those little plastic bottles had to be recycled. And while I was recycling my bottles, I knew that many were ending up in the trash. Then, a few years back, I also read that the quality of water in those single-use bottles is sometimes worse than tap water. I thought I'd solve both problems by washing and reusing them. Only then did I learn that improper washing of PET bottles could leave behind harmful bacteria or cause them to leach potentially toxic chemicals. I was almost ready to give up.

Then, when reusable plastic water bottles became popular, I began toting around a Nalgene bottle, secure in the knowledge that by using one of these sturdier plastic bottles, I was once again doing the right thing. Then I read that reusable plastic bottles could also leach potentially harmful chemicals. I was very close to reaching the oxygen-is-toxic-if-you-get-too-much-of-it stage. It wasn't until I started packing a lunch for my son that I decided to make one last effort to find a more healthful way for us to drink water while on the go. With all the startling statistics I'd read over the years about the downsides of various types of plastic water bottles, I felt desperate to make the switch; finding good alternatives finally made it happen.

Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles

Big business equals big impact: Worldwide, it's estimated that consumers spent up to $100 billion on bottled water in 2005. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), "More than half of all Americans drink bottled water; about a third of the public consumes it regularly."

Burning fossil fuels: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), derived from crude oil, is one of the most commonly used plastics for making water bottles. Supporting America's desire for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually just to create the bottles. The Earth Policy Institute (EPI) notes that worldwide, about 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year. They also point out that while tap water comes to us through an energy-efficient infrastructure, bottled water is transported over long distances by truck, boat, train and airplane — burning even more fossil fuels. On top of that, the EPI also notes, "At as much as $2.50 per liter ($10 per gallon), bottled water costs more than gasoline."

Loading landfills: My suspicion about a lack of recycling was confirmed when I read that the Container Recycling Institute estimates 86 percent of single-use PET plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. It can take as long as 1,000 years for those water bottles to biodegrade. Unfortunately, we're not the only ones suffering the consequences of our decisions. According to the EPI, almost 40 percent of the PET bottles that were recycled in the United States in 2004 were exported in order to be reprocessed, sometimes to places as distant as China.

Industry regulations: It may be surprising to learn that although bottled water is big business, the bottled-water industry is one of the least regulated in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates our tap water, while the United States Food and Drug Administration enforces a set of less-strict rules for bottled water. Besides that, says the NRDC, 60 - 70 percent of the bottled water sold here is exempt from any FDA regulations, because the FDA says its rules do not apply to water that is packaged and sold within the same state. Nearly 40 states do regulate the bottled water that is sold within their state, according to the NRDC; this means that one in every five states doesn't regulate bottled water at all. Unfortunately, state standards also vary a great deal, as do the enforcement of those standards. Co-op America, a national consumer organization that promotes sustainability, reports that 43 states have one or fewer staff members dedicated to bottled-water regulation.

Water source: The NRDC reports that according to industry and government estimates, 25 - 40 percent of bottled water is simply tap water. For instance, the Aquafina brand sold by Pepsi and Coca-Cola's Dasani brand are simply water tapped from municipal water sources.

Water quality: The news here is a mixed bag. In the NRDC's 1999 study in which more than 1,000 bottles (from 103 brands) of water were tested by three different labs, they found that while most bottled water was safe, some brands were in violation of state standards on bacterial contamination; others contained harmful chemicals such as arsenic. The report concluded that bottled water was no safer than tap water. Co-op America also concluded that the cheapest, most environmentally friendly and often safest option is to drink tap water.

How safe is that plastic? The most common water bottles, labeled either #1 PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate), are relatively safe for single use, but may leach Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA). According to the U.S. EPA, this chemical is a possible carcinogen if the bottles are used more than once. Also, potentially harmful bacteria can develop inside them when the bottles are reused.

Multi-Use Plastic Bottles

Unfortunately, multi-use plastic bottles have similar problems. Polycarbonate water bottles, such as #7 Nalgene, contain bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that acts like estrogen. A study conducted by Tufts University in 2005 concluded that BPA may increase the risk of breast cancer. Washing polycarbonate plastic bottles in the dishwasher, as well as simple wear and tear, can cause the chemical to leach, and the amount of leaching increases as the plastic ages, according to a 1998 study led by Dr. Patricia Hunt, a geneticist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

A Better Water Bottle

A creature of habit, it took time for me to switch from single-use bottles to reusable ones; then it took more time for me to move away from plastic. When I was finally ready for a change, I quickly discovered that one of the downsides of nonplastic bottles is their weight. Sometimes I would reuse fruit juice bottles made of glass, but I wasn't consistent about it. And while glass bottles don't leach chemicals, they are prone to breakage. I finally decided on a stainless steel bottle made by New Wave Enviro Products, and later, my son and husband bought bottles made by Klean Kanteen (see the resource box).

The largest Klean Kanteen bottles come with a carrying sling. I tote my New Wave Enviro in a wine-bottle holder from REI, a recreational outfitter. It's definitely heavier than plastic, but the carrier helps. I find that I'm not really carrying it all the time, anyway; often, it's simply beside me in the car when I'm running errands or out for the day. I also picked up a new bottle cage for my bike that would accommodate my stainless steel one. I'm not so much of a power biker that I mind a few more ounces of weight. The taste of water from a stainless steel bottle is so far superior to that from a plastic bike bottle that it could have weighed a pound more and I wouldn't have blanched. After all my experimentation with different options, I'm relieved to know that I can continue to both help myself by staying well-hydrated and tread gently on the earth as I drink my water.

Lee Revere is the editor of The Polishing Stone. Her favorite beverage is water.

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