Ubiquitous plastic water bottles, originally associated with a healthy lifestyle, aren't so healthy for the environment.

Aside from the fact that making so many individual water bottles creates a large carbon footprint, many of the plastics in the water bottles can be recycled only once. What is worse, in New Jersey, it has been estimated that up to 70 percent of plastic water bottles are not recycled at all. Instead, they end up in landfills or incinerators, where they pollute the environment. Nationwide, it is estimated that 2 million tons of plastic water bottles end up in landfills each year. The good news is that all of the problems associated with plastic water bottles are easily fixed by incor porating a few simple changes into our daily routine.

Switching from plastic to a reusable thermos or a glass is the best option. Filling the reusable container with tap or filtered water also makes sense. Recent reports show that up to 40 percent of the hyped "pure mountain spring water" we are buying actually comes from filtered tap water. There should be little difference in taste or quality between the two. Reus able containers help to save money, since people would not be constantly replacing their old water bottles, sometimes at more than $2 per bottle. Reus able containers are easy to clean, they can be refilled al most anywhere, and many containers hold more water than the average-size marketed water bottle, so they would have to be refilled less often.

For those who simply cannot give up the taste of their current brand of bottled water, there's a compromise. One plastic bottle of water can be used multiple times if it is properly cleaned with warm, soapy water between uses. By reusing the individual water bottle, people can get the taste they enjoy the first time and compromise for the next week or so before they go out to buy their new six- or eight-pack of bottled water. It is also an environmentally friendly idea to look for water bottles made of materials such as corn resin, that can be recycled more than one time.

In New Jersey, legislation was introduced last week by Assemblywoman Valerie Vai nieri-Huttle, D-Englewood, that would help to ensure that as many water bottles are re cycled as possible. The proposal, known as the Smart Container Act, would require that a deposit be placed upon every bottle of water sold to an individual. Then, when the bottle was brought to a "reverse vending machine" or a participating store for recycling, the deposit would be returned. Bottles would be accounted for using the bar codes already used by stores. Most of the money from the deposits that are not redeemed would go toward environmental programs and environmental education. If enacted, the Smart Container Act would help strengthen New Jersey's comparatively lax recy cling policies while it benefits consumers, the state and the environment.