In the United States alone, the population goes through approximately 50 billion water bottles each year, and most of the plastic containers aren’t recycled, according to Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.

These empty bottles sit in landfills, not decomposing for years. Additionally, the transportation of the bottles and refrigeration of them burns fossil fuels and thus increases greenhouse gases.

The Sierra Club, an environmental nonprofit, also states that bottle-water companies draw from underground aquifers and harm watersheds when groundwater pumping.

So, what’s the easiest remedy to decrease the environmental impact of bottled water? Simple, drink from the tap.

You can keep a reusable water bottle, such as the Sigg aluminum bottle pictured right, with you and just fill it up with tap water throughout the day.

Unfortunately in some developing countries, tap water isn’t properly filtered and bottled water is the only safe option. However, in the United States, drink up from your tap.