Puffing Billy choo-Choose Tap
South East Water and Puffing Billy Railway have teamed up to make it easier for over 275,000 visitors each year to choose tap water over bottled, with a new Choose Tap water bottle refill station installed at Belgrave Railway Station.
The new drinking fountain is part of the Choose Tap® initiative that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the community and the environment by promoting tap water as the most sustainable drink of choice.
The fountains all feature an accessible water bubbler, bottle refill tap, a dog water bowl, solar lighting and a digital water meter – which shows how many plastic bottles have been saved from landfill due to refilling.
Single-use plastic bottles contribute to 130,000 tonnes of plastic that ends up in our waterways and oceans, with 1,440 bottles being sent to landfill every minute.
People are encouraged to ‘bring your own bottle’ when planning to head out to Puffing Billy Railway, and choose tap water over bottled water, for heath, cost and sustainability benefits.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Puffing Billy Railway to help the community choose tap water over bottled water by installing a safe and accessible drinking fountain.”
South East Water Managing Director, Lara Olsen
In Australia, we spend more than $680 million a year on bottled water, with over 90% of the cost, coming from the single-use plastic bottle, lid and label. A plastic water bottle can take up to 450 years to decompose in landfill.
The new water fountain is part of the Choose Tap® initiative, which is a coalition of water organisations, including South East Water, and councils across Australia.
“We’re proud to work together with South East Water to reduce waste and to ensure the community and visitors to Puffing Billy Railway have access always to free, safe drinking water when they need it.”
Puffing Billy Railway CEO, Peter Abbott
Top image:
L-R South East Water Managing Director, Lara Olsen; Puffing Billy Railway CEO, Peter Abbott; Member for Monbulk, Daniela De Martino MP; Minister for Water, Harriet Shing; South East Water Board Chair, Lynn Warneke; Puffing Billy Railway volunteer.
Above:
L-R Puffing Billy Railway volunteer; South East Water Board Chair, Lynn Warneke; South East Water Managing Director, Lara Olsen; Minister for Water, Harriet Shing; Member for Monbulk, Daniela De Martino MP; Puffing Billy Railway CEO, Peter Abbott.