The Biodegradable Water Filter Revolutionizing How We Drink Water
The Way We Drink Water…
can ultimately be destructive to the environment. If you drink bottled water, it’s unsafe for you and has a bunch of unethical practices in its production. Tap water can be polluted and unsafe depending on where you live. And water filters are non-biodegradable and at best recyclable. It’s ironic how the resource we depend on everyday to give us life is the same resource causing us to pollute the earth. I’m unsure what it’s like in your state/country, but in NYC, people mostly drink from a water filter attached to their water source (refrigerator, sink, etc.), or bottled water.
While it’s obvious now that plastic water bottles are harmful to the environment, I hadn’t given much thought to the filters. Most people who use filters use it for their refrigerators, sinks, or pitchers. Water filters are less damaging to the environment than plastic water bottles for sure, but they are certainly still harmful. Filters themselves that are disposed of every few months are almost impossible to recycle and do not decompose. They actually end up creating waste just like plastic water bottles.
Image from Tapp Water Website
Meet Tapp Water
Frustrated with the limited choices I had in terms of sustainability and water purity, I started to research some solutions, which led me to Tapp Water. This company’s goal is to “empower people to easily get clean and healthy water from tap, with a minimum environmental impact.” I love that they can do this by:
Openly sharing all lab reports & studies as well as being tested for tap water in the US, Canada, Europe and other regions compliant with EPA and WHO drinking water guidelines.
Being completely biodegradable (the filter). The filtration system is a block of activated carbon made of coconut shells, while the cartridge that holds it is made of corn (which I’m guessing is PLA aka plastic made from corn. This has its drawbacks, but I think it’s a whole lot better than regular plastic). It is made of non-toxic materials that remain chemically inactive after decomposing. If disposed of with organic waste and sent to a composting plant, it will decompose in 1-2 months. If thrown away in general waste to landfill, it will decompose in a few years or be burned without harmful plastic residue. The device itself — not the filter — is also recyclable. For more information click here.
I started to use this filter for about two weeks now and I can tell so far it’s made a huge difference in taste! Before, I was drinking Brita-filtered water, which still tasted fine, but this water filter definitely tastes the most neutral and clean to me. I guess I never noticed the difference in taste until I tried Tapp Water. (And trust me, I have really insensitive taste buds). I think this is because it removes microplastics and keeps the essential minerals — features that reverse osmosis or a pitcher filter lacks. On another note — isn’t it sad that we need filters to weed out microplastics from our drinking sources, the plastics that were put into our water sources partially due to the bottled water industry?
The Best Thing About This Filter…
is that it’s also affordable! I got the Tapp Twist and 4 filters shipped to my door in a little over 2 weeks for $69 with a welcome code. That’s $9 for the cartridge and $15 for each filter, which collectively will last you a year. (In other words, each filter lasts 3 months). You also get a 14-day trial to see if you like your filter, and if not, you’re guaranteed a refund! There’s also a Tapp Click that you can connect to your smartphone, which alerts you when you’re in need of a change in filter.
My Question For You…
How do you all drink water? Is tap water safe enough to use a filter where you live? If not, how do you get around that? Is filling up those gallon-containers of water equally if not more sustainable? If there are any other ways to drink clean, safe water more sustainably, please share! I love learning more about how we can all improve.
Disclaimer: No affiliate links run on this post, nor commission. Simply thought there was a problem with the lack of options we have to gain accessibility to clean, safe drinking water that isn’t too harmful for the earth.