In an effort to reduce the amount of waste caused by plastic water bottles in the city of London, a network of new drinking fountains and bottle refill points will be rolled out this summer. This pilot scheme will see twenty new drinking fountains being installed across the city. In addition, a bottle refill initiative, whereby businesses make tap water available to the public, will be set up across five areas of London. If this proves to be successful then the program will be expanded to the rest of the city during the summer.

Those businesses offering free tap water will display signs in their windows, and there will also be a phone app featuring the locations of bottle refill points. This initiative is part of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s overall plan to tackle plastic waste in the city, improve access to tap water and process all biodegradable or recyclable waste by 2026. Environmental groups hope that other cities in the UK, such as Manchester and Liverpool, will follow suit.