THE REFILL REVOLUTION GAINS PACE

A report released in April 2018 by Keep Britain Tidy and BRITA[1] found that 78% of people in the UK would like there to be greater availability of free tap water. This definitely rings true in London – the #OneLess Drinking Fountain Fund received an unexpected number of bids from properties and landowners to take part in the initiative.

“We were taken aback by the number of applications we received to install drinking fountains across London. There is definitely huge appetite in London to stop using single-use plastic and establish a new culture of refilling,” said Dr Heather Koldewey, Director of the #OneLess campaign and Head of Marine and Freshwater at ZSL (Zoological Society of London). “We are delighted to be working with the Mayor of London on this exciting initiative to reduce the plastic blight on the ocean and firmly establish London as a city that no longer uses plastic bottled water.”

All drinking fountains in the initiative will be supplied by MIW Water Cooler Experts, a #OneLess champion and partner of the London Drinking Fountain Fund. Mike Winter, CEO of MIW Water Cooler Experts said, “It’s great to see London lead the way in reinstating a public supply of drinking water. Modern refill stations have come a long way from the Victorian fountains that used to fill the city. They’re now robust, hygienic and easy to maintain and there’s no reason why more cities shouldn’t follow London’s example to help people stay refreshed on the go without damaging the planet.”

The first of the new fountains was installed in Kingly Court, Carnaby back in March 2018, in collaboration with property owner Shaftesbury. Since the first week of June, when a water meter was fitted, almost 15,000 500ml bottles have been refilled from just this one unit. #OneLess and the Mayor of London worked with Network Rail to install two fountains in Liverpool Street station earlier this month, which between them have already dispensed 8,000 litres of drinking water, the equivalent of 16,000 water bottles. A further fountain followed last week in Heart of Valentines Park, Redbridge, and at least 16 more will now follow across the capital, accelerating London’s transformation from a city that currently gets through one billion plastic bottles of water a year, to a city where ‘refilling’ rules.

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “I’m very excited about the benefits the water fountain will bring. Millions of people use Liverpool Street station every day and this free service will make a difference to them and the environment by reducing single-use plastics.”

Leader of Redbridge Council, Councillor Jas Athwal, said: “As part of being a greener borough and a better place to live, we are committed to bringing water fountains and bottle refill points into operation across our borough. Providing simple ways of refilling and accessing free water not only cuts down on plastic bottle usage but helps people stay healthy and hydrated. We are delighted to be partnering with the Mayor of London and #OneLess London Drinking Fountain Fund on this new drinking water facility, which I hope will be a popular addition to Valentines Park.”

The London Drinking Fountain Fund is just one of many projects pioneered by the #OneLess campaign. The group is also working with a growing number of organisations, venues and events to go #OneLess and eradicate single-use plastic water bottles from their premises. To learn how you can get involved visit www.onelessbottle.org or to find out if there will be a fountain installed near you, follow @OneLessBTL #OneLess on Twitter.

List of confirmed locations for drinking fountains

The first 20 fountain sites are indicated in the list below (* indicates those already installed). A further 17 sites are also currently being explored by #OneLess and the Mayor of London.

[1] See full report https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/sites/default/files/resources/Water%20Water%20Everywhere%202018%20Report%20WEB.pdf