The water management scandal in Quebec
Normally, in a blog like this, we will write texts without creating too much wave. That’s not really the goal of our blog, basically!
This is why the qualifier “Scandal” is even more powerful than the simple word! Following the article by Paul Journet in La Presse on December 16 ( https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/chroniques/2022-12-16/un-peuple-de-donneurs-d-eau.php ), I took a step back so as not to write out of emotion.
Au-delà du prix ridiculement bas qui est facturé par le gouvernement du Québec aux multinationales qui utilisent et/ou gaspillent notre richesse naturelle, nous, en tant que consommateurs, devrons payer 3 fois: « Pour la bouteille, pour le financement de distribution d’eau et pour le traitement des matières résiduelles ( NDLR Lire le plastique ) » – Paul Journet
The plastic problem
One of the reasons why our company was created was to counter the use of plastic and its polluting effects. Firstly, the plastic in water bottles is made from chemical compounds called PET or more simply (!) polyethylene terephthalate. ( source: https://www.bioalaune.com/fr/actualite-bio/34510/5-raisons-de-ne-plus-consommer-deau-en-bouteille ) These chemical compounds have harmful effects on health!
Did you know? According to a 2019 study, in a bottle that has been reused, there is a risk of finding disease-carrying bacteria. ( source : https://www.treadmillreviews.net/water-bottle-germs-revealed-2019/)
Now, if we add the pollution caused by this plastic, transportation (including gasoline, the weight of trucks on our roads, the costs of recycling AND landfill), not to mention the plastic that ends up in lakes, rivers , rivers and oceans, we end up with an astronomical bill!
Back on topic
A good proportion of bottled water on the market come from soft drink bottlers. Worse, bottled water sold on the market often comes from an... Aqueduct! In short, you pay for your bottled water 120 times more than tap water.
For many PMEs (luckily less and less), a water cooler means a machine with an 18 liter plastic bottle. The problems with its devices are:
- Delivery costs (I’m repeating myself, but it’s important)
- Wasted space to store waiting bottles
- Gasoline and CO2 accumulation
- Workforce
- Premature wear of the road network
- Water distribution pipes that are not maintained and which, over time, will take on a strange appearance.
- Handling large bottles and the risks of associated injuries
Our experience of over 30 years in maintenance has shown us that changing filters and regular thorough cleaning of devices are of paramount importance to not only keep the water tasting good, but also to prevent bacteria to get in! Fresh water covers 10% of Quebec territory. At the dawn of a new era linked to climate change, it is high time that we take care of our most precious raw material and stop filling plastic bottles with our Blue Gold.
Last hour: Just as we were about to publish this article, news about the Horne Foundry made headlines.
It paid barely $21,000 to the Quebec state for the 8.3 billion liters of water it drew for its operations in 2021. Read here: https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/environnement/2023-01-10/fonderie-horne/beaucoup-d-eau-a-petit-prix.php