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Water, Water Everywhere...
Lynne Russell; Coast Care Volunteer and founder member of the Litterbugs group from Warkworth writes on the problems around the most simple of human needs... drinking!

Water, Water Everywhere……

In the UK, we recycle only around 57% of our plastic bottles. This means that 5.5 billion plastic bottles end up in landfill, incinerators or as litter each year. An estimated 700,000 plastic bottles are littered every day in the UK. Around half of these are water bottles. In an era where plastic will outweigh fish in the sea by 2050, we have to cut down on our use of drinks in plastic bottles.

Why are we paying for bottled water when tap water is free to all? All we need to do is get into the habit of taking our own reusable water bottles out with us. It saves a fortune if you are having a family day out. Tap water contains no calories, so you don’t need to worry about your waistline, or the kids getting hyper on a sugar rush. A typical small 500ml bottle of Dr Pepper contains 24g of sugar. That’s 6 teaspoons, and the maximum recommended daily intake for a child. Some energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine in addition to sugar, which can be harmful to children. And some bottled water tested recently, contained pieces of plastic in the water.

So our challenge this month is to stop buying bottled pop and bottled water altogether. If you feel you can’t, then reduce instead, and ensure you recycle as much as possible. If you are eating out, ask for a jug of tap water if the only alternatives are plastic bottled drinks. It shouldn’t be frowned upon and you can explain you are saving the environment (as well as your purse). And please don’t use plastic straws. We are campaigning to get rid of them, as our beaches are littered with straws too.

What is our Government doing about the plastic bottle problem? Michael Gove has said he’s been ‘haunted’ and ‘moved’ by the recent media images, and he recently announced a return and deposit scheme would be introduced, but this would be subject to consultation later this year. We really don’t have time to consult further and wait longer. The Scottish government announced their commitment to such a scheme 6 months before we did. It could take years for any scheme to be implemented.

In the meantime, it’s great to see the return and deposit scheme working well in Norway where the recycling rate of plastic bottles is 97%. The consumer pays a deposit on every bottle and if the bottle is returned empty, the machine reads the barcode and produces a coupon for the deposit. It reminds me of when we used to return the empty glass pop bottles and get 10p back.

It’s also great to see Northumbria Water on board with the campaign to reduce plastic bottles. It has joined forces with the ‘Refill’ campaign to encourage businesses to promote free tap water Refill stations in cafes, bars and restaurants. Customers and passers-by will be able to take in their own water bottle and fill it up for free. If successful, the scheme rolled out nationally could see a reduction in millions of plastic bottles. Any business interested should look up www.refill.ork.uk.

Finally, thanks to the cafes in Warkworth who confirmed they are no longer using plastic straws. We hope food places in Amble and Alnwick will follow. Thanks also to those people who contacted us – LitterBugs Facebook page or by e-mail to litterbugsnorthumberland@gmail.com. We welcome any ideas and feedback. 

"I met some wonderful people and really felt that my work helped make a difference to my local area."

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