Free water campaign launched

A new campaign to improve the British public's access to free drinking water and reduce disposable bottle use has been unveiled.


The Find-a- Fountain project, developed by environmental entrepreneur Guy Jeremiah, aims to record all publicly accessible drinking water fountains across the UK through an interactive website to enable people to search for fountains.

As a result of the campaign, which is now part of the Drinking Fountain Association, more than 600 drinking water fountains have been logged.

In addition, a number of cafes, restaurants and bars that offer free tap water refills have also been logged.

Mr Jeremiah, who also founded and self-funded collapsible pocket-water bottle producer Aquatina after an unsuccessful Dragons’ Den appearance last year, said he hopes the initial campaign will lead to a second phase, which will see the installation of new drinking water fountains around the country and the restoration of old fountains.

It is also hoped the project will help lessen the environmental impact plastic bottles have on the environment by encouraging people to carry reusable bottles.

Mr Jeremiah said: “This is an ideal opportunity for anyone to play a part in reducing the environmental damage associated with the consumption of bottled water.

“The average person in the UK buys 85 bottles of water a year and a typical local authority in the UK has to dispose of up to 10M bottles a year, at a significant cost to tax payers.”

“We’re calling on everyone to join us in helping to find fountains and free drinking water sources.

“It’s a great project for walkers, photographers, students, cubs, brownies, geo-cachers, urban explorers, local historians and anyone who cares about the environment. It’s a small thing to ask with the potential to make a big difference.”

A smartphone application has also been developed to help users find water sources on the go, and Find-a-Fountain is urging its users to upload details of their own local facilities or free public drinking sources.

In a bid to get volunteers involved, Aquatina is offering free bottles to the first 500 people who add fountains to the website.

Carys Matthews

 

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