In February, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council turned on its first ‘Bottle Bubbler’ water station, as part of a campaign to reduce plastic water bottle waste.
Located on the central coast of New South Wales, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has a population of 68,500 people and covers 3,700 square kilometres.
Council plans to install 11 H20 Bottle Bubblers at various sites across the Local Government Area to encourage people to drink the free town water and refill their plastic or reusable drinking bottles rather than throwing them in the waste.
The ‘Bubblers’ were designed by Council’s Water Supply Operator Ken Baker and were fabricated by a local company.
Council’s Director of Infrastructure Jeffery Sharp believes refilling water bottles this way will save ratepayers’ money by minimising Council’s collection and recycling costs.
“Actively encouraging the community to refill their personal water bottles at a drinking station will play a significant role in reducing natural resources and the amount of greenhouse gases emitted as a result of production, transportation, refrigeration and disposal of water bottles,” he said.
“Minimising our dependence on buying bottled water has significant environmental impacts. To create one plastic bottle of water there is a tremendous amount of energy used from groundwater extraction to bottling and transportation.”
In 2008–2009 more than 413 tonnes of plastic was recycled in the Hastings region, including 161 tonnes of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastics, such as water and soft drink bottles, and 139 tonnes of HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastics, like opaque milk bottles.
However, Council’s Waste Strategies and Education Officer Nicky Julian said the majority of plastic water bottles purchased are still being disposed with everyday rubbish.
“The problem with single use water bottles is that most don’t make it to the recycling stream – up to 65 per cent end up in landfill,” she said.
“Most water bottles are purchased and used by people when away from their home and go directly to landfill through street bins, or even worse, end up as litter entering the stormwater system, our local waterways and the ocean.”
For further information contact Council’s Water Supply Projects Officer Kim Freeman on (02) 6581 8241.
