Durham leads the way in cutting plastic bottle use
It comes as a new national drinking water scheme by water companies is set to cut use by millions
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 today.
The launch of the new initiative comes after businesses in Durham sign up to the battle to reduce plastic waste.
It's estimated that the new scheme will cut plastic bottle use by tens of millions each year as well as increase the availability of high quality drinking water.
In a drive to help fight plastic waste, 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.
Northumbrian Water's Chief Executive, Heidi Mottram, said:
"Business has a responsibility to play a critical role in helping people to tackle this problem at the grass roots, reducing the use of plastics at source wherever possible. As an ethical company, we're committed to leading the charge on this initiative and we're trying to make it as easy as possible for people to stay hydrated on the move, without adding to the disposable plastics problem."
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."
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.