Maybe Metro Didn't Get the Memo That Bottled Water is Out.
OK, so let’s set the scene. Environmentalists rightly have been going after bottled water companies, launching a highly publicised campaign to get folks to drink tap water and use reusable water containers instead of buying water that costs considerably more per litre than gas, and is no different than tap water anyways.
As with all things that are not related to the mandate of the City of Toronto – Toronto City Council jumps in! They ban the sale of water at Toronto Civic Centres, but don’t go any further, allowing stores to continue selling water, causing the waste diversion folks to continue to have to process all of these single use bottles at ridiculous rates.
As with many Toronto City Council pet projects, hilarity ensues.
First at Toronto City Hall, Pepsi doesn’t empty the machines, then some bright staffer puts tape over the aquafina logos, so only those smart enough to hit the button will still get water, and finally the machines are turned facing the wall, until the offending water could be replaced. Then, it turns out water is still being sold at the Scarborough Civic Centre, in the ward of the Councillor behind the whole water banning thing to begin with.
It’s safe to say, after all of this, and folks just thinking about it in general, bottled water is now kind of taboo. It’s seen as being ungreen, and therefore bad. I know I personally have stopped buying cases of bottled water, and do my best to carry and use my aluminium reusable bottle instead. Don’t get me wrong, bottled water has it’s purpose. At an event that’s outdoors in the summer, it would almost be unreasonable to not have bottled water available, but for folks at home, or for individual, non group setting use, it is a bit unnecessary.
The folks at Metro even in their attempt to be all chic, didn’t seem to get the memo about bottled water. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bottled water display as big as the one I saw today at the Metro in the Market, as I saw today. Normally I don’t go to grocery stores and take pictures, but the check out guy was taking a long time, and I was pretty bored and happened to be playing on my phone at the time. There are twenty columns of water, four rows deep, stacked six high. Thats 480 cases of water, proudly on display by the checkout. At $4.99 a case that’s like $2500 bucks in water. It seemed kind of excessive. I thought I’d throw it out there, just because the whole bottled water thing seems like the kind of issue where these things matter.
“Water Display”
“Water Wall”
“Water Wall – closer view”
Tags: Bottled Water Ban, Bottled Water Display, Bottled Water Toronto, Metro Stores, Toronto Water
Leave a Reply