Backed by environment minister Phil Woolas, Friends of the Earth and water company Thames Water, Ken Livingstone said cutting down on bottled water would bring a raft of environmental benefits, including a drop in the number of plastic or glass bottles requiring disposal.
Mr Livingstone said: “My message is very simple: don't be embarrassed to ask for tap water when you eat out. You will save money and help save the planet. By drinking less bottled water, we can cut the climate change carbon emissions coming from its production and transportation, and cut the problem of disposing of used bottles.”
Launching the “London on Tap” campaign this morning, the Mayor and his partners said a competition would take place in May this year for people to design a special carafe made from recycled glass, which would be standard for London restaurants to offer tap water to their customers.
Jenny Jones, Green Party member for the London Assembly, explained: “The idea of the carafes is to help Londoners take a stand against one of the biggest con jobs of the last two decades. Selling water in bottles and burning massive quantities of fossil fuels for its transportation does not make economic or environmental sense. This is a simple, money-saving way to brush up your eco-credentials. Say 'no' to bottled water and help save the planet.”
Panorama
The campaign launch came the day after a BBC Panorama investigation found bottled water being imported all the way from Fiji in the South Pacific, when the country was facing water shortages itself.
Experts on the programme were unable to tell tap water from bottled – with one expert mistaking tap water for the most expensive bottled water.
The Panorama programme said enough oil is used in the production process of water bottles in the UK to keep 17,000 cars on the road for a year. It found councils like Hampshire were spending well over £100,000 a year on bottled water for staff. The county's leader, Cllr Ken Thorber, responded: “We accept that we need to reduce our use of bottled water to save money and be more sustainable. Our staff are entitled to reasonable access to fresh drinking water but not all have access to kitchen facilities.”
Waste Watch
Meanwhile, waste awareness group Waste Watch told politicians to get their own house in order yesterday, after revealing that the Houses of Parliament alone got through 155,000 litres of bottled water in 2006-07, costing the tax payer £64,599.
The not-for-profit group said only a quarter of government departments have stopped using bottled water in their offices.
Praising chilled filtered tap water as “an easy and cheaper option”, Waste Watch said businesses and the public also have a “vital” role to play in cutting down on bottled water. It said blind taste tests revealed that “most people could not tell the difference between tap and bottled water, and just over half said they preferred the taste of tap water”.
The group said: “Waste Watch would like to see greater emphasis placed on providing people with access to chilled tap water in public places as well as additional investment in a public awareness campaign to promote the health and cost benefits of drinking tap water.”
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