New survey uncovers the surprising number of Americans who still buy bottled water, despite increasing concern over plastic waste and health risks from microplastics
AUSTIN, Texas, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- More than half of Americans still turn to single-use plastic bottles for drinking water, according to a new survey from Aquasana, a leading maker of high-performance water filtration solutions for the home. In recognition of Earth Day, the company polled 1,447 U.S. adults in March 2025 to untap just how many households are still purchasing and drinking water from wasteful single-use plastic bottles on a regular basis. Given the global plastic pollution crisis, along with increasing concerns over microplastics – including potentially harmful health effects – the results are surprising. The new survey found that one-third of U.S. adults (33%) said they drink bottled water daily, and 23% reported drinking bottled water a few times per week.
"We've been conducting surveys regularly for nearly a decade to keep a finger on the pulse of how people really feel about their drinking water, and we've seen that public concern over microplastics, in particular, has been climbing over the past few years," said Derek Mellencamp, General Manager of Aquasana. In August of 2024, the company's sixth annual Aquasana Water Quality Survey found that an overwhelming 83% of Americans are concerned about microplastics in their drinking water. Furthermore, the number of U.S. adults who cited microplastics as their number one drinking water contaminant of concern more than tripled year-over-year, spiking +350% year-over-year from 2023.
The United States ranks as the world's leading contributor of plastic waste. Americans purchase nearly 50 billion water bottles annually and throw away more than 60 million bottles per day. According to Greenpeace, less than 5% of household plastic waste in the U.S. is recycled, and it's estimated that one-third of all plastic waste ends up in soils or freshwater. In addition to contributing to massive environmental pollution, bottled water poses health risks due to excessive amounts of microplastics – much more than previously thought. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, a new study found that a liter of bottled water contains approximately 240,000 micro- and nanoplastics. That's up to 100 times more plastic particles than seen in earlier studies.
"The surprising number of Americans who are still buying bottled water, even with rising concerns over microplastics and the health risks they present, signals a clear need for consumer education and action," added Mellencamp. "It is easy to stop drinking plastics. Installing a water filter is a simple and effective way to instantly improve the overall health and sustainability of a home. In addition to significantly reducing plastic waste by replacing up to 12,000 single-use plastic bottles of water per year, our high-performance under sink and countertop water filtration systems also strip microplastics from tap water for cleaner, healthier drinking water at home."
All Aquasana Claryum® under sink and countertop water filters are certified to remove up to 99.6% of microplastics from tap water, along with 77 other contaminants, including lead, PFOA/PFOS, bacteria and viruses, pesticides, herbicides and more. For more information about reducing plastic waste and removing microplastics from drinking water, visit aquasana.com.
About Aquasana
Aquasana, an A. O. Smith Corporation company (NYSE-AOS), is dedicated to improving the overall health and wellness of every home by providing cleaner, healthier water through its best-in-class filtration products. Aquasana's family of award-winning premium water filters – including whole-house filtration systems, shower filters, under sink and countertop filters, and reverse osmosis systems – provide easy and immediate access to healthy water at home and on the go.
Media Contact
Cindy Young Vanhoutte, Aquasana, 1 512-585-0394, [email protected], www.aquasana.com
SOURCE Aquasana
Share this article