Wigan's supplier of drinking water wants consumers to bin expensive bottled waters.
United Utilities has started a campaign to get people to think green and favour tap water over bottled.
The company wants to draw attention to the huge environmental and cost advantages of drinking tap water.
Restaurants are to be a key focus o
f the Tap Into Water campaign, with UU urging the hospitality trade to make it much easier for diners to
opt for free tap water.
Window stickers for restaurants which back the cause will be provided by UU, allowing customers to easily identify tap-water friendly places to eat. Research by the National Consumer Council has revealed that nine out of 10 restaurants do not offer choice over water pushing customers towards bottled water.
Many diners are reluctant to ask for tap water as it is not an obvious option.
The Tap Into Water campaign will be brought to the attention of more than 100 North West businesses at a major climate change conference on May 1.
The May Day Summit, organised by Business in the Community, is an initiative of HRH The Prince of Wales, to encourage businesses to collaborate on ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Similar summits will be taking place across the country and UU is a key sponsor of the Manchester event and will ensure a ready supply of tap water for delegates.
Its now estimated that we buy three billion bottles of water each year in the UK – most of it in non-recyclable containers which can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
Half a billion bottles are flown or shipped in from overseas creating a huge carbon footprint.
Water is also heavy and transporting bottles of it around the country is estimated to create more than 33,000 tons of C02 emissions.
The full article contains 310 words and appears in Wigan Evening Post newspaper.
