The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community

A Refreshing Idea - Will You Provide A Public Fountain

16 February 2018 | Updated 01 January 1970
 

Tens of thousands of water refill stations are being created by publicly minded organisations to help reduce a dependence on plastic bottles.

 

People will be able to refill water bottles for free in tens of thousands of places in England in future following the announcement of a new national scheme by the water industry in late January - and you can do your bit by ensuring there are water refill stations available on your premises - and opening them up to the public.

It is estimated that the new scheme will cut plastic bottle use by tens of millions each year as well as substantially increasing the availability of high quality drinking water.

In the ambitious drive, water companies will join forces with the Refill campaign to create a national network of high street retailers, coffee shops, businesses and local authorities offering new refill stations for the public to top-up their water bottles for free in every major city and town in England by 2021.

People will be able to use an app on their phone to find out where the nearest refill point is or look out for special signs in shop windows. As well as being able to get drinking water from shops, cafes and businesses, some water companies are looking at installing new public drinking fountains and restoring some historical ones which have fallen into disuse.

 

To see all the latest in water coolers and dispensers the British Water Cooler Association Conference and Trade Show takes place on 8th March at the Nottingham Belfry. For tickets to attend the conference or to register for the trade show visit www.bwca.org.uk

 

Costa Coffee and Premier Inn

The first business to join the national drinking water scheme is Whitbread plc, which has pledged today to offer free drinking water for customers and passers-by in each of its 3000 Costa Coffee and Premier Inn locations from March 2018.

Launching the new scheme, Water UK Chief Executive Michael Roberts said: “As an industry with a strong focus on the environment we are passionate about tackling the problems caused by plastic bottles, which clog up rivers and drains and pollute our seas. By refilling water bottles, we can all help turn this harmful tide of plastic waste. This country has some of the best drinking water in the world and we want everyone to benefit from it. This scheme will do that by making it easier for people to refill their bottles wherever they work, rest, shop or play.”

 

Refill

The water industry was inspired to create the new initiative by the successful schemes run by the Refill campaign, which now has over 1,600 refill stations across the UK. Some water companies are currently taking part in three local Refill schemes in England to provide free drinking water; Anglian Water in Norwich; Northumbrian Water in Durham; and Bristol Water in Bristol. The new partnership between the water industry and Refill will see all water companies in England support the massive expansion of the scheme over the next two years.

As an example of what could be achieved nationally by the new initiative, the Refill Bristol scheme which launched in September 2015 now has more than 200 refill points across Bristol’s city centre. Refill Bristol has estimated that if every Bristolian refilled a bottle once a week instead of buying a single-use plastic bottle, the city would reduce its plastic bottle consumption by 22.3 million a year. If replicated around the country, it could lead to a reduction in plastic bottle use in the hundreds of millions.

The current Refill scheme, now happening in 13 towns and cities in England, encourages participating cafes, bars, restaurants, banks, galleries, museums and other businesses to sign up to a free app and put a sticker in their window alerting passers-by to the fact they’re welcome to fill up their bottle for free.

Natalie Fee, founder of City to Sea, the organisation behind the Refill scheme, said: “We’ve seen a huge appetite for our Refill campaign across England, from individuals wanting to make a difference in their community to national chains keen to offer free refills to their customers. Our Refill app puts the power to stop plastic pollution in people’s hands – and now thanks to the water industry we'll be able to help everyone, from local communities to airports, to provide free refills on the go.”

James Pitcher, Director of Sustainability, Whitbread plc (owners of Costa Coffee and Premier Inn) said: “At Whitbread we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and playing our part to tackle the issue of plastic waste. We are very much looking forward to participating in this innovative scheme, with over 3,000 Costa stores, Premier Inn hotels and restaurants the length and breadth of the country we can make it easier for people to refill for free, helping to reduce the number of plastic bottles being littered or thrown away.”

Picture: With thanks to City to Sea. There are money-saving benefits for customers too. A half-litre bottle of still water typically costs around 30p in shops, compared to a twelfth of a penny for the equivalent volume of tap water – meaning water for customers who fill up bottles from a tap in their own home is 360 times cheaper than if they get it from a supermarket. The cost if they get it from one of the new refill points will be zero.

 

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 16 February 2018

Share



Related Articles

Plastic In The Office - Replace, Remove, Reduce And Reuse

Jackie Furey addresses the widespread issue of plastic in the environment by providing various tips on how to reduce its use in the office.   Changing...

 Read Full Article
Single-use Plastic Deposits - Consultation Planned

Last week the government announced plans for a deposit return scheme to crack down on plastic pollution and to increase recycling rates - this will now be the subject of...

 Read Full Article
Water Fall - Scheme To Cut Plastic Bottle Use

A new national drinking water scheme has been introduced by water companies to cut plastic bottle use by millions. People will be able to refill water bottles for free...

 Read Full Article
The World’s Largest Water Station Hydrates 290,000 Golf Fans

A mega-sized water station with the capacity to purify and dispense over 6,000 litres of water was used at The 150th Open in St Andrews. Created by Bluewater, a...

 Read Full Article
Global Recycling Day 2022 in FM

This year's Global Recycling Day took place on 18 March and celebrated the "recycling fraternity", those who put themselves on the frontline to...

 Read Full Article
Interserve And E.ON Awarded Accolade For Cup Plan

Interserve and E.ON have been awarded an Oceansaver Accolade for their plan to remove more than 1,300,000 single-use plastic cups from E.ON sites and replace them...

 Read Full Article
Oceansaver Accolade Presented To Goldman Sachs

Waterlogic, the supplier of drinking water systems, has recently launched The Oceansaver Accolade – and Goldman Sachs have been recognised for their commitment...

 Read Full Article
Milton Keynes Dons Post-Carbon Hat

Milton Keynes Council is asking for environmental experts, businesses and residents to help make MK the world’s first ‘post-carbon’ city. Engie has been...

 Read Full Article
PET's Alright - Recyclable Question Answered

In a recent article, ThisWeekinFM applauded ISS for selling bottles and carton of water for charity but questioned whether those receptacles could actually be...

 Read Full Article
One Love - But One Question I'd Really Love To Ask

ISS has raised to date over £100,000 for The One Foundation via the sale of One Water in recyclable containers.   The One Foundation has raised £20...

 Read Full Article