THE ACT Greens today announced a plan to increase free drinking water around Canberra with new drinking fountains in key public places, and mobile water stations at events like Floriade and the Multicultural Festival. 

ACT Greens Spokesperson for Territory and Municipal Services Caroline Le Couteur says the $386,000 plan will make Canberra healthier and more liveable, and help reduce waste from plastic bottles.

“More drinking fountains around Canberra will make it easier to get a free healthy drink when we need it,” she says.

“It will also help reduce the amount of plastic we buy, much of which ends up in landfill.

“Hundreds of thousands of people come to events like the Multicultural Festival and Floriade every year, lines to buy water can be very long, and easy access to water should simply be provided.

The ACT Greens were joined by Huw Kingston, from Australia On Tap – a new national campaign aiming to increase access to free drinking water to reduce the environmental costs associated with single use plastic bottles.

“There is a real movement to bring back the bubbler and offer more choice for the public to enjoy water’ Mr Kingston said.

“Numerous councils, towns, schools universities and businesses are now investing in drinking fountains. In the past we survived well enough as a nation without single use bottled water and this initiative by the ACT Greens is a great move to offer more drinking water facilities to people in the ACT.”