WHILE DRINKING bottled water is certainly better for you than soft drinks, good ol' tap water is often a better way to go. Here are five reasons why.

Regulation. While bottled water companies tout the purity of their H20, many aren't held to the same standards or regulated as public water supplies are.

Price Many bottled water companies buy water on the cheap and then resell it for much more. While a bottle of water will set you back a buck or two, tap water is free.

Plastic. Sure, you can recycle plastic bottles but creating all that plastic in the first place is a toxic mess.

Resources. A lot of bottled water on the market comes from public water supplies and rural springs. Drinking water should be a public resource not a private commodity.

Corporate Control. The bottled water industry is dominated by huge corporations like Coca Cola, Nestlé and PepsiCo. Do you really want to give these companies your money?

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