Young Eco Warriors Help Launch New Alloa Top Up Tap

Young eco-warriors helped promote the benefits of staying hydrated on the go at the launch of Scottish Water’s new refill tap in Alloa.

Pupils who are part of an Eco Committee at Sunnyside Primary School were the first to try out the new blue tap on the town’s High Street.

The schoolchildren made posters to help promote Scottish Water’s Your Water Your Life which encourages people to drink tap water while out and about to stay hydrated save money and protect the planet by using refill bottles.

Denise Penman, Head Teacher at Sunnyside Primary School, said:

We are delighted to be involved with the installation of the new Alloa Refill tap launch. Pupils on our Eco Committee has been discussing the impact single use plastic bottles can have on our environment and the importance of drinking water to stay healthy. We are excited to be able to encourage others to stay healthy and look after our environment.

The hi-tech tap gives access to free, fresh and clean drinking water at the push of a button. It is plumbed directly into the public water supply and has digital tracking technology which logs how much water is being used and how much plastic potentially saved.

Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, also attended the launch of the new top up tap. He said:

I am pleased to support Scottish Water’s Your Water, Your Life Campaign. It is fantastic that Alloa now has a Top up Tap which will allow local people to refill their water bottles when they are out and about with high quality drinking water, which is not only good for their health but will also help to cut down on the use of plastics.

The new tap was also welcomed by Leader of Clackmannanshire Council, Councillor Ellen Forson, who was among first people to try out the tap.

She said:

It’s great Scottish Water’s latest Top Up Tap is located here in Alloa – it will be a great addition to the High Street. It will hopefully encourage more people to carry a reusable bottle if they know there is a place to refill it when out and about in the town.

The Alloa tap is the first to be installed in Clackmannanshire and the 16th to be installed so far. Scottish Water has a total of 70 planned to appear across Scotland over the next 18 months.

Local sporting hero Duncan Scott also welcomed the new refill tap to his home town. The swimming star said:

Staying hydrated is essential for me to be able to swim at my best when it counts at international events and as a Learn to Swim ambassador I think it is really important for children from an early age to drink plenty of water to create good habits and keep them active and healthy for life.

It’s estimated that people filling up from the utility’s Top Up Taps to date is the equivalent of around 90,000 standard 330ml plastic bottles.

Scott Fraser, Regional Communities Manager at Scottish Water, said:

We’re delighted to bring our expanding network of Top Up Taps to Alloa so even more people can enjoy our fantastic and great tasting Scottish drinking water. We’re encouraging everyone to top up from the tap as much as possible and get into the habit of carrying a refillable bottle when they leave the house.

Clear, fresh drinking water is known to help boost concentration levels with Scottish Water delivering more than one billion litres of water a day to customers. NHS Choices recommend drinking six to eight glasses of water per day.