Newly discovered bacteria can eat plastic bottles

A team of Japanese scientists has found a species of bacteria that eats the type of plastic found in most disposable water bottles. The discovery, published Thursday in the journal Science, could lead to new methods to manage the more than 50 million tons of this particular type of plastic produced globally each year. The plastic found in water bottles …

What Bottled Water Costs the Environment—and Your Health – Taylor Hill

Bottled water is the world’s best-selling drink, and Americans are its most loyal customer. You pay hundreds or even thousands of times more for the prepackaged water than you would if you got it from the tap. Yet nothing has proved that “ultra-purified,” “mountain-sourced,” “glacial-runoff,” or “oasis-obtained” water is any better for you. What we do know is that bottled water …