Per litre
240,000
plastic particles in a single litre of bottled water, about 90% of them nanoplastics.
The fix: Filter your tap water and carry a stainless or glass bottle instead.
but plastic free.
12 things in On the Go
On the Go, plastic free
Klean Kanteen On the Go
Klean Kanteen Reflect 27oz Stainless Bottle
Stainless steelBamboo
Shop$45
LifeStraw On the Go
LifeStraw Home Glass Water Filter Pitcher
GlassSilicone
Shop$70
FinalStraw On the Go
FinalStraw Collapsible Metal Straw + Case
Stainless steel
Shop$25
The guide
Plastic-free water, coffee and carry
Bottled water is the headline microplastics story. Filtered tap plus a good bottle is the single clearest swap you can make.
4 min read
PNAS, 2024
Baggu On the Go
Baggu Standard Reusable Bag
Compostable
Shop$14
KeepCup On the Go
Keep Cup Brew Glass Travel Cup
GlassCorkSilicone
Shop$30
To-Go Ware On the Go
Bamboo Utensil Travel Set
BambooPlant fibre
Shop$18
What actually helps
Filtered tap beats bottled
This is the most clearly measured swap of all, and it saves money too.
- Drink filtered tap, not bottled: bottled-only drinkers take in ~90,000 microplastics a year vs ~4,000 from tap. Environmental Science & Technology, 2019
- Boiling hard tap water first removed up to ~90% of nano- and microplastics in testing. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2024
Berkey On the Go
Big Berkey Gravity Water Filter (2.25 gal)
Stainless steel
Shop$387
Hydro Flask On the Go
Hydro Flask Wide Mouth 32 oz
Stainless steel
Shop$45
Klean Kanteen On the Go
Rise Food Box 34oz
Stainless steelSilicone
Shop$3295
PlanetBox On the Go
Rover Stainless Steel Lunch Box Set
Stainless steelSilicone
Shop$5495
Fellow On the Go
Carter Move Mug 12oz
Stainless steelCeramic
Shop$2995
Snow Peak On the Go
Snow Peak Titanium Spork
Shop$995
The science
Why on the go, but plastic free?
Bottled water is the headline microplastics story, and reusable stainless or glass bottles, filters, and totes solve it for pennies per use. The same logic covers cups, straws, and bags you'd otherwise grab in single-use plastic.
A 2024 PNAS study found a litre of bottled water contains roughly 240,000 plastic particles, about 90% of them nanoplastics, 10–100× more than earlier estimates. · PNAS, 2024
The NIH summarised the finding as far higher plastic-particle counts than previously detected in bottled water. · U.S. National Institutes of Health, 2024
Common questions
- Does filtered tap water help?
- Switching from bottled to filtered tap water is one of the most-cited ways to cut nanoplastic intake, and a reusable bottle keeps it plastic-free end to end.
One swap a week
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