maybe they think you won't notice
Brita, the Clorox Company's line of water filtering products, has teamed up with Nalgene to help America reduce its plastic waste. The FilterForGood campaign encourages consumers to "take the pledge" to stop using bottled water and offers discounts on a Brita water filter and reusable Nalgene water bottle.
But if you've ever used a Brita water filter, you know that they rely on expensive, disposable plastic filter cartridges. And Brita doesn't offer a North American recycling program for these cartridges. (Sounds a bit like selling energy-efficient light bulbs but wrapping them in a giant plastic package....)
Granted, you only replace Brita cartridges ever couple months or so, which is a lot less plastic in the dump or recycling bin than a daily stream of water bottles. But let's be real: The U.S. has some of the best, safest water in the world -- and it comes straight out of the tap. Stick your Nalgene under that and cut out the middle man.
One problem that I encounter when arguing this with people is that they complain that the water in the tap is tested safe at the water-treatment plant, but it is not clear if the water is safe right at the tap in your house (questionable quality of the pipes delivering water in your 50-60 year old home perhaps?). Also there is the problem of sediments in the water -- it may be safe, but if you see stuff in the water, you want to clean that stuff up. Brita works well for this.