Banning bottled water

[ant_queen]

I was listening to Triple J on the way home and Hack was doing a piece on the town of Bundanoon, which is just up on the highlands from us, and their plan to ban bottled water. And now it looks like the NSW Premier is following suite and phasing out the use of bottled water in NSW government departments and is planning a public campaign to

Comments

[blamebrampton]

YES! The key to Bundanoon's success is that all the local businesses are on board. They have water filters and will be selling low-cost re-usable bottles. In Europe, water fountains are very common, and it's not unusual to see people filling up at them. Over here, alas, we see taps without the tap bit so that people won't use them.

I'd like to see people stop drinking soft drinks, too, as they have all the disastrous water and carbon usage of bottled water, plus hugely wasteful production costs for the drink itself!

[ant_queen]

The vandalism issues with public options is certainly an issue, so I think getting them into stores is really key there as they have better security and even if you have ot pay for it, it would still be less than bottled water.

I would also like to be able to legislate against people eating and drinking things that are not healthy and have hugely unsustainable production, transport and disposal costs, however I can't see that happening soon in a country that's still very capitalist and reluctant to do anything that implies limiting market freedom. However, I think if individual towns and councils can give things a go and show that it can be done without leading to a revolt or significant loss of business, then that's a good start.

[ms_kilian]

When my B-I-L visited from London last year, he pointed to one of the many water bubblers/fountains on the Melb streets and said "never drink form those, people piss in them." I don't know if it's true, but I don't fill my water bottle from them just in case.
Like you, I'm in category 3.
I like the branded reusable bottle idea. Like the coffee chains that sell travel mugs, and each time you get it refilled at that outlet you get a discount.

[ant_queen]

The CPD made similar comments. I think I'd be okay with using a fountain in a store (same as those self-serve soft drink machines they have in some fsat-food places) as it's more likely that it would be cleaned regularly.

[deensey]

We have a filter at work as well, and i purchased a 1 litre bottle once, and now fill it every morning at the tap, and pour cup after cup from it. I figure if I'm drinking 1litre a day, minimum, I'm doing good!

I do think that there needs to be some sort of crackdown. I don't know that a ban is the way to go. I know, for example, that I've been driving long distances and run out of the water I brought, and needed to buy a bottle at the servo. But some sort of surcharge might not be a bad idea.

[ms_kilian]

I have an amber glass jug on my desk for water. It was $5 in a 2nd-hand shop. If I'm going to be drinking a litre of water of day I want to do it in style ;)

[deensey]

I'm so not that girl

[ms_kilian]

LOL!