I was just having this conversation with the Mrs. I graduated high school in 1990. It was always tap and garden hose for me. The wife asked when I noticed it becoming popular and I remember the first time was at outdoor summer concerts. I got hit in the head twice at an OzzFest show with 1/2 full water bottles.
Was water just sold in paper cups when you were frying in the heat jamming to the Stones, and Aerosmith? Or were you allowed to bring in water at outdoor shows? Or did you just tough it out with shrooms and beer?

It's been a thing since I've lived in AZ. You always, always have to have water with you here. I'm happy to drink from the hose or the tap, and I always have a full one gal. thermos in my car. But when I run out and need water, I pay what it costs and get bottled water. I just came back from a week of working in Indiana, living in a hotel. I went through five one gal. bottles.

Back in the 80’s they had Evian water bottles, but I don’t remember when plastic bottles went mainstream. They seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere. When I was a kid, no one carried water around with them. It’s funny, because it’s so common now, I guess people just never thought about it back then.

Google believes plastic water bottle use exploded in the late 1980's. It claims Evian water being consumed by New York models started the trend. So, good memory by sigspecops.

The typical "progressive" types started drinking Evian and other bottled water in the late 80's, insisting that tap water was "bad".

Then it was found that bottled water is essentially tap water, the EPA has very little resources assigned to regulating it, and then you get the plasticizers and other contaminants from the bottles. Not to mention all the plastic waste. As usual the "greens" make things worse with their misguided ideas.

I grew up on tap water. As an adult I started using Brita filter jugs, and for the last 25 years have a fridge with a filter on it for the water and ice. I have to soften the water heavily due to Indiana limestone so that does affect the taste a bit. I might go for an R.O. system in the future.

A friend of mine lived in my upstairs room for a year or so, and he was a bottled water person. I also have had girlfriends from other countries (East and SE Asia) where the water is not really safe to drink, and they prefer bottled water.

The amount of plastic waste generated by the above is ridiculous. And then they forgot to put the bottle in the recycling bin and put them in the trash...

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
The amount of plastic waste generated by the above is ridiculous. And then they forgot to put the bottle in the recycling bin and put them in the trash...

Doesn't matter much of the time, because many cities collect their recycling and trash separately... but then dump it all in the landfill rather than having to pay to recycle it.

It's often - though not always - just environmental theater. Made to make you feel good about saving the planet, but not actually accomplishing anything.

We've been drinking bottled water for years and recycling the bottles.
Our tap water tastes like either chlorine or algae, depending on the time of year.

The few water filters we've tried didn't make it taste any better and were a PITA to mess with.
Although I'm not one to tell anyone how to spend their money or tell them what they should or should not drink. YMMV

For reference, I drank water from the garden hose as a kid...

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Doesn't matter much of the time, because many cities collect their recycling and trash separately... but then dump it all in the landfill rather than having to pay to recycle it.

It's often - though not always - just environmental theater. Made to make you feel good about saving the planet, but not actually accomplishing anyway.

Fine with me, it gives me 2 big trash bins instead of one.
My green bin is for trash, their blue bin is for recycling.
I don't care where it ends up...

Somewhere around 2005 I noticed a distinct shift from water cooler to water bottles going onto construction trucks. The cooler would get 2 bags of ice thrown in at the gas station. Then it turned into 2 cases of water into the truck. Around 2010 I would deliver 8-12 cases of water per week that quickly turned into a pallet every couple of weeks.

It’s retreating somewhat with the advent of reusable bottles and filling stations instead of fountains.

And what did you all do for shows in the 70’s?
Did they sell water in the same waxed paper cups that soda and beer came in, or let you tote your own water in?

They do claim bottled water is particularly loaded with microplastics. If anyone is trying to avoid microplastics. I have a stainless-steel water bottle and drink from the tap.

I remember Beverly Hills Cop and Serge mentioning several times "a bottle of Perrier, with a lime twist", so that is my "recollection" of bottled water being a fad thing.

As a kid, in San Diego/Imperial Beach, we did not have sufficient water or the quality was poor, so we had the large "water cooler" water bottles (just about everyone did as I recall).

When we moved, I thought it odd that there were no more water bottles and it took some "effort" to get me to drink water from the faucet.

(I would drink a lot of milk)


I recall public water fountains being everywhere until the end of everything else in Boomer World. Pay phones, water fountains, Pawking Meters, and civil people...


When I am on the road, I will carry water bottles in a cooler, (and have had many occasions where they were needed in a few cases stuck on the side of the road, or others that were and had no water).

Also carry water when at events, as there is always someone with a poor dog and no water.

Pissed one guy off when I approached an asked if I could give his black lab that was stepping on its tongue some water at a car show (on asphalt parking lot). Guy was standing there yapping, with a bottle of water in his hand and the dog was trying to get sideways under the car.

He said; "What?, and I asked again if I could give the dog some water, and he said, Yeah, I guess so."

Dog drank half the bottle, and I put the lid on and handed it to the guy and said, "for you dog" (with a legit smile), he took the bottle looked at it, then looked at the bottle he was carrying and looked at me, and I saw the light go on.

He muttered a thanks and I told him he was welcome and left.

I have seen people also outside eating, with dogs under tables and chairs heavy panting non-stop and "doing the tongue/swallow thing", while the owners have tall cool glasses and refills, oblivious to their dogs.

A good number of people have bowls and water for their dogs, but those that do not perplex me.

Water them doggies.

As for the plastics. We all gonna die. No one gets off this rock alive.

I do the best I can to avoid pie trucks and angry mooses, but I can't waste time on every tiny thing.

It beca.e a tbing for me when I discovered you could freeze them and substitute for crushed ice in thd cooler.
No more soggy sandwiches. ice.water to drink in the motorcycle tankbag.

Me, I recall starting around 1997 budgeting for 1 bottle a day at work (The cheapest I could find, like Wallmart). I would refill it until it got lost or broke.

In the Army, unheard of until we got deployed in '07. Then that's all we had (But still had to have a Camelback or 2x canteens, so it was constantly dumping water bottles into those.

Funny, new guys and civilians had no idea what this was...
Them: "You can't taste a picture"
Me:

Sparklettes, that’s when i figure it became mainstream.

Around 2000 here

I don’t recall bottled water being a thing prior to that.

And growing up, any water in a jug or bottle was always referred to as “spring water”

As much as we're trying to save the environment, it's so wasteful too. I remember my wife's kids leaving partially full water bottles all over the place, drove me nuts. It was funny after her youngest moved out - she (the youngest) didn't realize bottled water costed so much!

My wife and I were invited to the US Open in the early 90's.

An amazing experience and my first trip to Flushing Meadows.

It was there that I saw for the first time, people buying Evian bottled water at a concession stand. I could not wrap my head around people paying for water, not Perrier or one of the other bubbly type waters, but just water. Back then I believe a 4 pack was close to $20 at this tournament. Mind Blown!!!!!!

I remember a former girlfriend of mine stopping by sipping from a bottle of water that was from France maybe Perrier? This was about 1978-79. I thought she was nuts paying 2.75 for it.

In the 70's I remember Perrier, then Evian. Never bought them. Seems like it exploded around 2000. I've had an RO filter for twenty five years but always have a case on hand for travel and what not. Garden hose still works for me.