Australian town bans bottled water

A small Australian town has banned the sale of bottled water becoming what is believed to be the first place in the world to take such action.


Bundanoon, known locally as ‘Bundy’, has a population of just 2035 and is located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

It is now in the history books after its residents voted for the ban at a public meeting.

The vote saw 354 in favour and two against, one of whom was Geoff Parker from the Australasian Bottle Water Institute and another man who raised issues about diabetics.

Following the meeting, last week, it is now illegal for business to sell bottled water and residents will be able to fill bottles from taps offering filtering water on their main street.

The move against bottled water in the town, known as the Bundy on Tap campaign, came about for two reasons.

Firstly, Sydney company Norlex Holdings planned to take ground water for bottling, which aggravated local residents who felt they would then have to buy the water which should be free.

And, secondly, proposals linked to the water bottling that could see a large warehouse and more shops in the town.

A statement on the town’s community website read: “The Norlex water extraction issue has galvanized our local community like no other issue in recent times.

“Norlex plans to truck water to Sydney for bottling and sale at great profit to them but no economic or social benefit to Bundanoon.

“This got some of us thinking.”

Luke Walsh

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