Derry City and Strabane District Council has revealed plans to introduce publicly-accessible water refill stations at various council buildings.
It is part of a wider project which will see both indoor and outdoor drinking water refill fountain taps dotted along various routes in a bid to eliminate single-use plastics.
During a report this week at the Environment and Regeneration Committee meeting, members were reminded that they had requested the siting of the refill stations, in public open spaces throughout the city and district “in support of measures to eliminate singe use plastics and in particular single-use drinking bottles”.
Members further requested that consideration be given to providing refilling stations “within publicly accessible Council buildings where these does not presently exist”.
Councillors approved an initial install of public refill points at the following locations: The Guildhall, Alley Theatre, both the Derry and Strabane Civic Offices, Templemore Sports Complex, Foyle Arena and Riversdale Leisure Centre.
“Drinking water dispensers are presently located within staff areas within most buildings, and on that basis it may be feasible to relocate these to public areas at minimal cost,” the report added.
“Additional units can be leased from the providers at a cost of £430 per unit per year plus installation costs.
“The provider services, cleans, disinfects and repairs the dispensers on a regular basis as part of the lease agreement.
“In addition to the above, the facility could see an increase in water charges that will vary depending on use with the busier sites seeing the greatest increase.”
“The installation of water fountains is consistent with Council’s objectives to eliminate single-use plastics in support of sustainability through waste reduction and limiting the impact of climate change.”
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