Tapping into great idea for water refill points
Scottish Water have announced plans to roll out tap water refill points in every local authority area around Scotland over the next two years.
Under the initiative, councils are being consulted to identify the best locations with the aim of having the first 10 top-up taps installed by the end of March 2019.
The move follows the launch earlier this year of the Your Water, Your Life campaign in which the utility called for customers to drink tap water at home, at work and on the move as a way of reducing waste, saving money and staying hydrated.
Edinburgh has been selected as the first location for a top-up tap, which will be positioned outside the Scottish Parliament. The other sites being considered for the intial rollout include Glasgow, Ayr, Dumfries, Dunfermline, Fort William, Milngavie, Oban, Inverness and Aberdeen.
The units will be fitted with technology that will enable them to digitally track water usage at each top-up point, transmitting the data via cloud technology to specialists managing Scotland’s water networks.
The resulting data will be used to calculate cost and plastic savings, along with the volume of water being consumed.
Douglas Millican, Scottish Water chief executive, said: “The creation of a new network of public top-up taps across the country as part of our Your Water, Your Life campaign, is a significant boost in encouraging more people to choose to drink tap water in their daily lives.
“Our research shows that people feel very positively towards the quality of Scotland’s tap water – now these stateof-the-art taps can provide access to enable water drinkers to enjoy it while on the go by carrying and using refillable bottles.”
A national drive to encourage people to stay hydrated by drinking water from the tap in refillable bottles was set out in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2018-2019.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “I am delighted that our Programme for Government commitment to pilot the creation of a network of public water refill points is coming to fruition so quickly.
“By encouraging people to top up from the tap using refillable bottles, we will help cut down on our use of plastics and promote the benefits of hydration building on Scottish Water’s Your Water, Your Life campaign.
“I now look forward to refilling my bottle at the top-up tap outside the parliament in the coming months.”
The Your Water, Your Life campaign aims to make tap the first choice for water drinkers wherever they are, and encourages businesses to make it readily available for staff and customers. Zero Waste Scotland, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Scottish Natural Heritage have also voiced their support.
Water samples are tested every two minutes, on average, to maintain quality and ensure customers enjoy their supply of Scottish drinking water.
Licensed premises are legally bound to serve tap water on request, yet research shows Scots are uncomfortable asking, something this campaign hopes to change.
Customer research carried out for Scottish Water revealed tap is the water of choice for almost two thirds of people in Scotland (65 per cent), and currently over a third (36 per cent) carry reusable bottles always or often when they are out and about. But less than a third (30 per cent) said they’d be happy to go into a café and ask for their bottle to be filled.
On average a litre bottle of water costs about 65p, so topping up daily from the tap could save £1.30 a day, nearly £500 a year.
The top-up taps are made from marine-grade steel and are connected to the mains water supply, with the first installation in Edinburgh expected to be completed by the end of October. Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said: “We’re delighted to be the first location for Scottish Water’s top-up taps which will soon be helping people across the country fill up on tap water with reusable bottles.
“As a council we are 100 per cent committed to reducing the amount of plastic thrown away and this new scheme is a real step in the right direction.”
I now look forward to refilling my bottle at the top-up tap outside the parliament Roseanna Cunningham