By Lori Robertson Water bottle-lugging tourists are fixtures around the globe, as fear of Montezuma’s revenge and Delhi belly have led to travelers’ constant purchasing of bottled water, particularly in developing areas where the bacteria that cause stomach ailments runs rampant.
But all that plastic waste is a creating quite the trash heap, and if you’re looking to reduce your plastic footprint, hiking in remote areas or simply stuck in a hotel with only tap water you’ll need another option. Thankfully, there are plenty of them.
Any of these eco-friendly techniques or devices will zap the contaminants in your water, including parasites (such as giardia), bacteria (e coli and salmonella) and viruses (hepatitis A and norovirus). If you see dirt and other particles in your water, pre-filtering through any mesh or cloth item is obviously a good idea too.