Using a refill bottle instead of buying a single-use plastic bottle will save you money – it will spare us all and the fish from ingesting microplastics too. Photograph: Alamy/PA
The three main types of bottled water for sale are “natural mineral water”, “spring water” and “water”. Calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium can be found in both mineral water and spring water. They can give it a pleasant taste and are good for our health, according to Geological Survey Ireland. The biggest known source of microplastic that enters our bodies is bottled water, according to the study. The average number of particles ingested per litre is 94.
Some 220,000 single-use plastic water bottles are generated in Ireland every day. Not all of them get recycled. About four plastic bottles are found on every 100m of our coastline, according to a Coastwatch Ireland survey from 2019. Things may improve now that we are required to pay for the plastic.