Bottled water on way out

Water refill stations follow ban on bottles The battle against bottled water is gathering pace with water refill stations to appear at Hammersmith Bus Station and Tower Bridge Museum in London.

The stations will provide on-the-go access to fresh, chilled, mains-fed water, in a project funded by Thames Water as part of its Ten for Ten community programme. Passers-by will pay 20 pence to refill a 500ml bottle, funding research into the impact of the scheme by charity Waste Watch. There are plans to roll the stations out across London, if successful.

The scheme comes shortly after a ban on the sale of bottled water in the Australian town of Bundanoon, a resident-led initiative thought to be a world first. Following plans by a water company to tap an underground reservoir, locals voted for refillable bottles to replace bottled water on shop shelves, and campaigned for public fountains supplying filtered water to be introduced.

Steps such as these suggest public awareness of the environmental impact of bottled water is on the rise. The UK industry, which imports over 25% of its water and contributes significantly to landfill waste, has experienced a decline in sales for the first time in at least five years.

Bundanoon’s vote is reminiscent of the decision taken by residents of Modbury, Devon, to ban plastic bags in 2007. On a larger scale, the Welsh Government is proposing a nationwide charge for single-use plastic bags.

Bans may seem draconian, but there’s no mistaking the cultural shift. “Increasingly, people are confident that tap water is fine to order when dining out – it’s no longer perceived as ‘cheap’,” says Jeanette Longfield of Sustain, the food and farming campaign group. – Lottie Butler and Nick Chan

2 January 2010

Lottie Butler

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