1. Plastic Consumption
Project:
The Difference Between Plastic
Water Bottle Usage and Plastic
Gallon Jug Usage in Pierce’s
Household

2. The Question:
How much plastic would a family
of four save by switching from
plastic water bottles to plastic
gallon jugs in 5 weeks?

3. Methodology
PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES:
How many plastic water bottles are in the pack?
– Look at the pack for the total amount of bottles
How many are consumed in five weeks?
– Count up the number of plastic water bottles for five

4. Methodology Cont…
PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES:
How much plastic (in²) goes into making them?
– Figure out the amount of plastic and times it by the number
of bottles in the pack
What is the total cost for them?
– Calculate the cost for the pack times five weeks
What is the difference between plastic/cost compared with plastic
gallon jugs?
– Calculate and determine their differences

5. Methodology Cont…
PLASTIC GALLON JUGS:
How many plastic gallon jugs are consumed in five weeks?
– Count up the number of plastic gallon jugs for five weeks
How much plastic (in²) goes into making them?
– Figure out the amount of plastic and times it by the number
of jugs used in 5 weeks
What is the total cost for them?
– Calculate the total costs of jugs
What is the difference between plastic/cost compared with plastic
water bottles?

6. Assumptions:
1. Correlation between plastic and
water:
– If more water used, then more plastic is
used
2. Correlation between water/plastic
usage and price:
– If more water/plastic used, the higher
the cost

7. Data Collection
Timeline:
– 10 weeks (25 days)
Recording:
– Total number of plastic water bottles & plastic
gallon jugs usage in their respective weeks;
– Total number of plastic (in²) usage for both
types of bottles;
– The sum/difference of their plastic usage;
– The sum/difference of their overall cost

8. Data Collection Errors
1. Negligence:
• Forgot to count all water bottles/jugs for the week;
• Consequently, total number of water bottles/jugs
is approximate
2. Unaccountable Water Bottles/Jugs:
• Water bottles/jugs that people have brought in
from the outside;
• Consequently, overestimation, therefore,
imprecise results
3. Water bottles/jugs left over from previous
weeks that are ignorantly recounted
4. Measurements of water bottles/jugs are fairly
close:

9. Data of Plastic/Water
Usage
Excel Spreadsheet Analysis used to Calculate Data:
Usage:
Week1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Total:
32 31 33 35 34 165
Average monthly Average yearly use
Average weekly use (bottles): use (bottles): (bottles):
33 132 1716
Average monthly Average yearly
Average weekly use (jugs): use (jugs): use (jugs):
1.03125 4.125 53.625

10. Data Analysis
Data Comparison:
The data means:
1. Yearly, a household of four What is the Difference in Plastic Consumption?
can reduce roughly more Weekly: Monthly: Yearly:
than half of plastic usage by
Bottles (in²): ≈ 2,399.53 ≈ 9,598.11 ≈ 124,775.47
substituting packs of 32
water bottles for plastic Jugs (in²): ≈ 1,401.11 ≈ 5,604.46 ≈ 72,857.96
water jugs. ≈
Difference 3,99
2. A household of four saves ≈ (in²): ≈ 998.41 3.65 ≈ 51,917.51
$100 yearly if it buys packs
of 32 water bottles rather
than plastic water gallons. What is the Difference in Price?
If the priority for a household is Weekly: Monthly: Yearly:
to reduce plastic, then it Bottles: $ 5.75 $ 23.02 $ 299.23
should substitute packs for
jugs. However, if the priority Jugs: $ 7.50 $ 30.00 $ 390.00
is to reduce cost, then the
Difference: $ 1.75 $ 6.98 $ 90.77
household should substitute
jugs for packs.

11. Summing Up
• The data confirms my first assumption that if
more water is used, the more plastic is used. Thus,
more plastic is used in a pack of 32 plastic water
bottles than 1 plastic gallon jug in one week.
• Contrary to my second assumption—that you pay
more for more water/plastic usage—the data
illustrates that buying a pack of 32 plastic water
bottles for one week is cheaper than buying 1
plastic gallon jug.

12. Alternative Solutions to
the Reduction of Plastic
• Drink less bottled water (thus reducing plastic usage)
• Buy gallons instead of packs (thus reducing plastic to the
minimum for the time being)
• Buy water filters/purifiers (thus taking plastic out of the problem)
• Refill water bottles (thus holding plastic temporarily at a bay)
• Drink tap water (thus solves plastic usage altogether)

13. Online Resources
• http://www.emagazine.com/view/?1125
• http://www.paradigm-grp.com/about/blog/
blog_09230801.aspx
• http://www.fredmeyer.com/healthy_living/Pages/
earth_day.aspx
• http://www.container-recycling.org/media/newsarticles/
plastic/2006/5-WMW-DownDrain.htm
• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5279230/

14. A Question for Further
Study
Plastic containers are going to stay
because they are cheap, light,
durable, and portable. Yet, the
material harms the environment.
Besides plastic, is there any other
material out there that is both highly
expedient and environmentally