P&G continued

June --

That sounds like the prepackaged company response.

The issue is that regular old people like me that use PUR filters (my guess would be ALL of them) toss their used up filters into their trash can. And the trash goes to land fills. If P&G is intervening in trash pick up and "reducing, reusing, recycling, composting, or incinerating" on their customers' behalf like some sort of uncanny guardian angels, then please let me know and give me proof. I'd be very impressed indeed!

That said, I am certain that not the case. The response below is so preposterous, I don't even know exactly how to address it.

Jason

On Fri, May 7, 2010 at 12:52 PM, "P&G North America" wrote:

Hi Jason,

Thanks for contacting Pur.

We appreciate your concern regarding the recycling of PUR filters. Although PUR does not have a recycling program for filters available at this time, P&G is committed to ensuring our products, packaging, and operations are safe for consumers and the environment. For products that go out with the trash, our approach is to reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, or incinerate waste (with energy recovered) prior to land filling, wherever it's environmentally and economically appropriate.

We're continually researching alternatives for more environmentally improved products and packaging. For more information about what P&G is doing to achieve this, please visit http://www.pg.com/sr.

Thanks again for writing.

June

PUR Team

P & G

A copy of an email to Proctor and Gamble regarding their PUR filtration systems.

Dear Proctor and Gamble Corporation --

I'm writing not with a question, but rather to express my concern about your company's PUR water filtration system. I had wanted to purchase said product, but after doing some research and finding out that the filters the system uses are unable to be recycled (Brita's are to a certain degree...), I've decided not to.

Of even greater concern than the plastic of the filter cartridge getting recycled is the fact that the carbon inside of them -- the carbon that filters out and retains the contaminants it takes out of our water -- is being tossed into land fills by the thousands. This is problematic because it's like throwing highly concentrated little contaminant bombs back into the environment. The contaminants therein will almost certainly leach back into the ground water supply. And we will be the lucky people to drink them back up again. I can hardly wait.

The issue of waste and contamination in our society is easy to ignore and difficult to solve. However, at least Brita (or whoever Brita's parent company is ) is making an attempt to do the right thing with the resources that are available to them at this time. I can only hope that those in charge of these kinds of decisions at Proctor and Gamble will be able to see past their profit margin and follow suit. Of course, I realize that more contaminants in our drinking water is actually a really great thing for Proctor and Gamble because it will help sell more of its PUR water filtration systems. While the irony of that might make one smile a bitter smile, it is that same irony that is one of the great sadnesses of capitalism/life on our planet.

As a concerned citizen, and conscious consumer, I have used your little scrolling customer help box to say my piece. To the poor P&G underling that will probably not be able to do anything about this, I'm sorry if I bummed you out. Help me fight the good fight. See to it that this reaches the desk of someone with more power than you. That's the best that I can hope for.

Sincerely Yours,

Jason Goldberg

What better way to say I love you than to facilitate your moms getting her buzz on? None.