You may have seen in our recent Risk Digest, the article on ‘drinking fountains’ by The Telegraph (If not, then you should sign up – it’s free!). Campaigners have been voicing their opinion that drinking fountains should be brought back into public areas to resolve Britain’s waste situation. Here at Assent, we believe it’s a good idea!
There are many reasons to bring back drinking fountains into areas such as public streets, parks, beaches and more – Here are 5 reasons…
- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
Research by Keep Britain Tidy found that 7.7bn Britons use single-use plastic bottles a year, with less than half being recycled… resulting in 16 million bottles being thrown into rubbish bins every day! Implementing more drinking fountains into our streets would lower these figures; helping our environment.
- Reducing waste for an ISO 14001 Management System.
ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised Standard for Environmental Management. It is designed to apply to every type of organisation and is focused on identifying and reducing environmental impact, including reduction in waste. By bringing back drinking fountains, there will be less waste within your organisation (from employees, customers and even non-customers!), helping you work towards an ISO 14001 Management System, if you haven’t already got one!
- Thirsty when you’re out and about?
Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, Allison Ogden-Newton stated that their report “demonstrates that the British public want greater access to tap water when out and about”. Licensed properties in England and Wales are legally required to deliver free drinking water to customers upon request, however they can charge customers for using a glass. Most Britons don’t know their rights or are too uncomfortable to ask for tap water, so providing drinking fountains means that they won’t miss out.
- 6-8 glasses of water a day!
The NHS ‘Eatwell Guide’ states that we should each drink 6-8 glasses of water a day in order to have a balanced and healthy diet. Filling up a re-usable bottle when in public encourages us to follow this guide.
- One in five teachers think that their school isn’t meeting the legal requirement to provide water at all times to students.
Keep Britain Tidy found out that 1 in 5 teachers think that their school isn’t meeting the legal requirement to provide water at all times to students, and instead the learners are buying unhealthy fizzy drinks. Allison Odgen-Newton stated “We believe that schools should promote the need for effective capture and recycling of all bottles and other single-use containers.”.
As stated in point 2, implementing ISO 14001 will help to reduce waste in every type of organisation, as well as this, this standard also has many other ways of reducing impact on the environment. Assent Risk Management has ISO 14001 Consultants who can help you implement an Environmental Management System and achieve Certification. We will work with you to build a Management System that fits with your organisation, developing on the good work you are already doing to support improvements.
Sources Used:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-eatwell-guide.aspx
