The NSW Government has just decided to ban bottled water.
Well, for Government departments.
They’ve done so after a country town in southern NSW introduced a blanket ban. This seems dumb.
People buy water for convenience sake. Water is important to live. The town in NSW will introduce filtered water fountains into the street.
I can’t help but think that this is an ailing Premier’s cynical attempt to ride a wave created by a small corner of his constituency…
“We’re asking government departments to phase it out unless there is obvious and practical commonsense reasons not to in the event someone doesn’t have cool water in a hot environment,” he [Premier Rees] said.
The Premier says the move will save taxpayer money and help reduce the impact on the environment of producing and throwing away plastic bottles.
“Local businesses in the town of 2,500 people are proposing to replace the bottles with reusables and then offer directions to filtered water fountains that will be installed on the main street.”
“At the very least, if they don’t ban it, then at least they will reduce their usage of it and in doing so, reduce the half-a-billion dollars a year that Australians are spending on bottled water.”
That’s half-a-billion dollars worth of convenience and jobs axed for ideological reasons.
Bottled water, in some people’s minds, is a tax on stupidity. Ever held a bottle of Evian up to a mirror? It’s free from the taps.
But that’s not the point.
As friend Paul pointed out in an email discussing the country town’s ban – people are buying the bottle not the water – you’re hardly going to stick your mouth on a tap in a public place.
Benny is most unhappy. Tap water gives him ulcers. He’s the only person I know who sees fluoride as an election issue.
Stupid hippies.