Why do Plastic Water Bottles Say “Do Not Refill”?

We all know that disposable plastic water bottles can be refilled with filtered tap water and reused over and over again. I made a habit of doing this myself to keep from buying expensive bottled water on the go. So why is it the bottled water labels often have a “do not refill” warning printed on them?

There are a few different reasons but the main reason, in my opinion, is that it is simply for legal protection in the case that anybody should somehow suffer damages as a result of reusing their product. They are only making money off the initial sale of the product, so it makes sense for them to limit their potential legal liability by putting this warning on the label.

There are some other possible reasons for the label to warn against refilling, but to me they make little sense. For example, some suggest that refilling is potentially hazardous due to the leaching of chemicals such as BPA into the water.

But if this is true, then it must be dangerous to consume the original water from the bottle because it was being contaminated by the leeched chemicals for weeks while it was sitting on the store shelf. Some people say that the cheap plastic in the bottle starts to break down over time. I’m just not buying these arguments at all.

It is true that sometimes plastic water bottles can start to smell after a couple of weeks of reuse. I’m not exactly sure why that happens but it is true in my experience. It’s probably because of bacteria and grime that builds up on the inside of the water bottle.

Because almost all the water bottles sold in stores have those tiny mouths, they are almost impossible to clean. So it’s easy for dirt, algae, and bacteria to build up on the inside the plastic and there’s no way to get rid of it other than to throw the bottle away and start with a new one.

I personally believe it’s safe to refill plastic water bottles and reuse them as many times as you want. The only thing you have to be careful of is that the cheap plastic use does contain BPA and other toxic chemicals that leaks into the drinking water. These chemicals are known to cause reproductive and other issues in laboratory animals.

Rather than continually reusing these cheap water bottles I would recommend purchasing a higher quality plastic water bottle that does not contain BPA. These bottles are also easier to clean because the mouth is large enough for you to squeeze your hand in and clean the bottle as needed.The plastic is also sturdier and more durable so it doesn’t crush like a regular water bottle will. Nalgene makes a great bottle that is inexpensive and great for using for this purpose.

Camelbak Eddy	Nalgene Tritan	Hydro Flask	Polar Bottle