The bottled water industry alone generated roughly 600 billion plastic bottles and containers in 2021. This resulted in around 25 million tons of plastic waste, most of which is never recycled and ends up in landfills, in our rivers, oceans and landscapes, or burned in open slow burns like Tillafushi in the Maldives, or for the generation of electricity in waste incinerators that are now becoming increasingly common.

Updated figures for 2023/24 are becoming increasingly difficult to source as corporate transparency becomes ever more elusive with the rise in public awareness and the information doors closing, although general data points towards 800 billion due to a steady growth in demand.

In a recent 2023 study with UN-Water, it was confirmed that over 90% of the plastic waste from drinking water is because of the commercial interest in creating distrust in the public of their municipal water system; caused by years of clever advertising and brand marketing by the big players such as PepsiCo, Unilever, Coca-Cola and Nestlé. They all have major revenue streams from their water brands held within their portfolios. They have created a world where people feel safer drinking bottled water.

One simple change that can have a vast impact is our attachment to how convenient it is to buy a plastic bottle of water during your day, rather than carry your own “life can” and refill it with filtered water. Over 86% of globally branded bottled (mineral) water sold today is in fact just filtered tap water at best, with no health benefit aside from it being plain water. However, the footprint this industry creates—from packaging, logistics and the industrial systems required to support a “convenient lifestyle”—is vast, and has greatly affected the planet’s ecosystem.

Aside from the profiteering and devastation to the natural world, there is now a huge amount of data that consumption from plastic containers is also wreaking havoc on your health. While this is a separate thread for conversation, which you can read via EcoWatch resources, I urge you to do your own research into “phthalates”, which are esters of phthalic acid. They are used as plasticizers—substances added to plastics to increase flexibility, transparency, durability and longevity. They are used primarily to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and are highly dangerous to all life coming into contact with it. We are bottling water in plastics treated with this and have been lied to for decades about the side effects to humans and the natural world.

It is like the tobacco industry all over again: “smoking is good for you, there are no negative associations with cancer or other health issues.” It’s a corporate pattern that, as consumers, we must try and break—and penalise those that do this to the public knowingly and deceitfully while making staggering profit margins on branded tap water served in poisonous packaging. If there was ever a case of ecocide, this is now my point of reference.

Maquettes of the proposed reverse osmosis public water fountain.

I believe it is my role to make the concerns of art relevant to society at large: a crucial means for turning thinking into doing in the world; spanning sculpture, painting, photography, film, lighting and installation. Not limited by the architectural confines of the art world, my practice engages the broader public sphere through interventions within natural landscapes and civic spaces alike—arts education, policy-making, issues of sustainability and ecocide.

In 2021 I started work on a design project that I believe can help, and is important enough to share with the wider world regardless of IP and copyright. The very same year I was opening Makers Place, turning plastic and aluminium waste from the drinks industry into meaningful objects; but I wanted to go further.

I wanted to create something truly useful to help the people of the Maldives break free from the plastic habit. I set to work on designing and fabricating a public water filter system that uses reverse osmosis technology—and a personal water bottle designed especially for each and every resident of the Maldives, and every tourist that enters the region on holiday. Both would be made locally from recycled materials. What a bold statement that would be from the Government of the Maldives and its people: that they choose to no longer depend on water in plastic bottles and the terrible burden it carries for their environment and society.

This design project moves forward and is to be housed within the new Makers Place recycling studio we are now working towards, with funding being our core objective right now.

The water fountain and water bottle is a turnkey solution without which, recycling poses the reality that we are just cleaning up people’s waste and bad consumer choices, while not actually offering a viable solution to the problem.

The “life can” element of the project will involve the fabrication of several hydraulic press machines to form the basic bottle shape out of a recycled aluminium billet. Further machinery would be needed to press the lid and form the screw threads. Making a water bottle is in fact a complex multi-stage process—but once established, production could be scaled up dramatically.

The Life Can design.

The second stage of the project would be to make the public water refill station using this droplet design, but as a scaled-up installation to house the reverse osmosis water filter system inside. These would also be cast from recycled aluminium within the Makers Place facility. The droplet shape gives immediate recognition to its function, and I believe would be welcomed by the public at large: the simple droplet form hides the advanced technology within. In brief, reverse osmosis is a membrane-based filter system with reduced consumables and an absolute assurance of its ability to provide pure H₂O and nothing else.

In the Maldives we are working on the ground with the local and national governments to help advise, plan and install these water filter stations in schools, universities and transport hubs; offering clean and safe drinking water. These droplet reverse osmosis filters will offer pure H₂O in the safest form, with absolutely no harmful chemicals, PFAS, odour or otherwise. When the community understands this, they will quickly adopt this safe and accessible way of bringing water into daily life in a safer and more environmentally responsible way.

3D printed models presented during “Designing a better future” workshops.

What is being proposed here can only be a viable solution if we approach the problem both at its source and final destination. At the very bottom of this post I include data on the positive and negative considerations around drinking reverse osmosis water on a daily basis.

If installed as planned, each user of a Life Can and public water fountains would from that point onwards become a “zero plastic water bottle user”, and all you had to pay for it was a little convenience.

I hope you found this journal entry informative. These projects are supported through my art sales alone, and any support you could offer would be so very welcome—even if it’s just a quick message to tell us to keep with the work. Thank you.

You can also directly support via our Patreon.com/SustainableArt page. Joining is free, with a rewards program starting at just a fiver.

REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER — THE DATA

Today we cannot avoid the data of what is in the water supply and not be aware of PFAS or “forever chemicals”. They are now found in public water supplies around the world, and are chemical compounds of human invention. PFAS are extremely persistent within the environment and our bodies and are proven to lead to health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues and a multitude of cancer variations; these really are terrible things to find in your water supply.

Reverse osmosis filtration removes these and all other chemicals, taste and odour. It also removes unhealthy, inorganic minerals that the body cannot process. The build-up of these chemicals and minerals—especially calcium salts—leads to problems such as gallstones and kidney stones.

Understanding the benefits to your health and the environment is an important stage in helping people think before buying bottled water. Remembering the added chemical cocktail we find in public water systems these days, a reverse osmosis water filter system produces nothing other than pure H₂O.

Understanding the health benefits of drinking reverse osmosis water

- RO systems are highly effective at removing a wide range of contaminants from water. These can include heavy metals (like lead and arsenic), dissolved salts, bacteria, viruses, and chemicals (such as chlorine and fluoride). This makes RO water safer to drink, especially in areas with poor water quality. Many people find that RO water tastes and smells better than tap water, as it removes impurities that can contribute to off-flavours and odours.

- RO water has a lower mineral content, which can be beneficial for individuals with certain medical conditions, such as kidney stones. It can also be preferred for some industrial and scientific applications where precise control of water purity is necessary.

- RO water will result in less mineral buildup in appliances like kettles, coffee makers, and dishwashers. This can extend the lifespan of these appliances and improve their efficiency.

Despite these benefits, it’s important to be aware of the potential drawbacks of drinking RO water.

Fitting a customisable mineral filter into the system is important, allowing you to add beneficial minerals such as salts and magnesium back into the water to create a specific mineral profile that suits your preferences or health needs. These can even be modified for specific taste profiles. Without this, RO water tends to be slightly acidic due to the removal of alkaline minerals; a mineral filter can balance the water for taste and for broader health considerations.

The drawbacks

- RO systems can produce wastewater as a byproduct of the filtration process. This water is not harmful but contains what the filter system removed, and can be a concern in areas with water scarcity.

- RO systems can be relatively expensive for an individual to purchase and maintain. They require periodic filter replacement, and the membranes may need occasional servicing, cleaning or replacement. They also need power to drive the filter pump (which can be solar-driven).

- RO can remove minerals that are important for a safe and balanced diet. Remember that only H₂O comes out of an RO filter—absolutely nothing else—and that can cause health issues for some people if they do not have a balanced diet. If you are concerned about the loss of minerals, you can use a remineralisation filter or be sure to eat a balanced diet when drinking pure H₂O.