Bottled water banned in Seattle

Seattle is hotting up the competition with other green cities by banning the sale of bottled water in its city buildings.

Seattle’s mayor, Greg Nickells, has said that the purchase of bottled water in city buildings will be phased out by the end of this year to be replaced by tap water. This saves plastic drinking bottles being thrown away, which take hundreds of years to decay in landfill.

The ban - which will save the city around $58,000 every year - will not stop employees from bring bottled water into work. It will apply in all city department buildings.

Seattle is following similar moves by San Francisco and Los Angeles, which have already banned the purchase of bottled water by their departments. In Chicago, a five cent tax has been imposed on all bottles of water purchased.

Meanwhile, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has been encouraging retailers and service providers, including pubs, bars, clubs and hotels, to stop stocking bottled water.

Announcing the new ban, Nickels said: “This is a matter of leading by example.

“The people of Seattle own one of the best water supplies in the country, every bit as good as bottled water and available at a fraction of the price.

“When you add up the tremendous environmental costs of disposable plastic bottles clogging our landfills, the better choice is crystal clear.”

This ‘best water supply’ comes from the Cascade Mountains, a place of natural beauty with no businesses or houses.