Water Direct has provided quality assured drinking water for staff and guest welfare over the years to hundreds of events, construction sites, railway projects and requirements of all types. This provision has often taken the shape of bottled water which has proven to be an economical solution and straightforward to manage due to all our bottles being 100% recyclable. Most of our bottled water producers now provide bottles with at least 50% recycled material too, which helps us stay well ahead of key industry targets for the use of recycled and recyclable packaging.
With David Attenborough’s incredible Blue Planet II often considered the catalyst for a swell of feeling around single-use plastic and the impressive nationwide effort to reduce its use, event organisers are taking a conscious stance against single-use plastic and other customers are telling us that they are committed to being 100% free of single use plastic bottles in the future.
For example, this year’s Glastonbury festival completely banned the sale of plastic bottles, reducing from over 1 million sold in 2017 to zero in 2019 and featured a public appearance by Mr Attenborough in support of the festival’s efforts. In addition, following this year’s London Marathon an impressive coordinated clean-up saw a significant post-event collection of 350,000 plastic bottles for reprocessing.
The British public are delivering a clear message that single-use plastic is not acceptable and we must all do everything we can to re-use, recycle and seek alternatives wherever possible.
Customers can go plastic free or choose recyclable or reusable options.
Water Direct is totally committed to the promotion of circular economy and zero waste to landfill and we’re extremely proud to introduce a 100% plastic-free bottle to our product line-up.
The Eco for Life branded bottles are made from PLA (Polylactic Acid) which is derived from corn starch and certified as free from genetically modified ingredients. The bottles are printed using a vegetable ink and filled with great tasting spring water from a British source.
The award-winning Eco for Life brand has been recognised with innovation and green business accolades, with sustainable processes contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gasses and fossil fuel consumption during production.
Despite being compostable, the 500ml bottles have an excellent shelf life all the time they are stored correctly and can remain in stock for up to 18 months. After use, they can also be refilled of course. The bottles are robust and feel nice to hold, remaining so until they are placed in composting conditions where they will break down entirely in time.
Eco for Life bottles are available on a 3-5 day lead time and can be purchased online here.
What else are we doing to address the issues surrounding plastic waste?
In addition to offering plastic free bottles, our efforts to promote recycling and increased use of recycled material, we’ve also developed several alternative solutions so that customers always have a choice.
We offer innovative options such as the Aqube™, a 1,000 litre container made from 100% recyclable material that can be broken down and processed locally after use. This reduces carbon cost too as transport is only used to make delivery, with no need to collect the Aqube™ after use.
We provide drinking water tank and bottle refill station hire to promote re-use and can help customers address small scale waste collection with our event recycling kit. We can also offer assistance with large scale waste management solutions through our sister company Countrystyle Recycling.
Water Direct’s outlook for the future
There has been increased awareness and pressure from the public encouraging the government to take action too, with previous Environment Secretary Michael Gove recently speaking publicly about the potential to introduce an all-encompassing national deposit return scheme which is likely to cover all types of drinks packaging including plastic, glass, steel and aluminium. Many people feel that a scheme incentivised by the government is the only way to create universal buy in and motivate end users to return recyclable drinks containers.
We’re committed to continue to explore all options for our customers to ensure we are taking every step within our power to reduce waste and provide our customers with economical and effective temporary drinking water solutions.