Council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty
Six new drinking water fountains are being installed in popular areas of the city in a bid to cut plastic use and litter.
Two fountains are already in use at Hove Lagoon and on Hove seafront and four more are being placed at Churchill Square, in front of the Palace Pier, outside Hove Town Hall and Brighton Station.
They have been installed by Brighton and Hove City council and Southern Water. If successful, more fountains could be installed in other parts of the city.
Council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty, one of the first to try the new water fillers, said: “I’ve been pressing for new water fountains in Brighton & Hove since my time in opposition, so as leader of the council, I’m pleased that we are now able to open brand new drinking water fountains in the city.
“The fountains will be incredibly handy for residents and visitors alike on our seafront and in the city centre who will be able conveniently refill their flasks or bottles removing the need for them to buy bottle after bottle of water. The knock on effect will also be less rubbish along the seafront.
“This is an important part of tackling the scourge of plastic waste and playing our part for the environment. As a seaside city, we bear a special responsibility to protect our precious marine environment, especially as it’s estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the sea from land each year.
“With covid restrictions now lifted, we are pleased to be able to install these fantastic, safe new water filling units and fountains. The public health benefits of water are widely acknowledged and it’s brilliant that we are able to make fresh, free, clean drinking water readily available to our residents.
“Using a refillable water bottle is one small but important action everyone can take to reduce plastic waste and help reduce our impact on the planet. The pandemic has sadly seen a huge rise in the use of singe use plastics, but I really hope the new fountains will help all of us redouble our efforts to reduce and prevent waste.”
The fountains were originally due to be installed in 2020, but plans were put on hold due to covid.
However, now that restrictions have been lifted and there is much more known about the transmission of the coronavirus, the council and public health teams are confident that the water stations can be safely installed, and any health risks minimised with regular cleaning and maintenance.
This will include:
- Daily cleaning and sterilising
- Regular water testing
- Twice yearly inspection, internal sterilisation and maintenance
- Daily reporting of damage
- Locating the units in shady areas, away from potential contamination such as overhanging trees.
- The fillers also operate with a hands-free, push activation system, which allows bottles to be filled by pressing down onto a platform to avoid the bottleneck touching the fill spout.
If needed, the water fountain can be modified to be used for bottle filling only.
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Originally Appeared Here