New Scottish Water refill tap installed in Ullapool in bid to reduce plastic pollution
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Ullapool's newly redeveloped Shore Street has a new Scottish Water refill tap installed with hopes to reduce single-use plastic water bottles.
The new re-fill tap allows for locals and visitors to fill up their water bottle while out and about for free, without having to pay for a single-use plastic water bottle which can end up in landfill or polluting the sea.
The tap was installed as a part of Ullapool's £10m Shore Street redevelopments, which saw the road and pavement widened, a new pontoon added to the shorefront, and ramps that allow everyone to go down the beach.
Scottish Water installed the tap as a part of over 100 outdoor refill points which have been set up all over Scotland, in a bid to reduce plastic pollution.
Local environmental activist Finlay Pringle has been campaigning alongside the Ullapool Wildlife Watch group, for this refill tap to be installed ever since he saw one outside the Scottish Parliament in 2019.
Finlay said: "It's great to see that Scottish Water have installed a refill water tower in Ullapool as part of the new Ullapool Harbour Trust improvements!
"We came across one of these re-fill stations back in July 2019 outside The Scottish Parliament when we were invited to Holyrood to speak to the ECCLR committee about climate change. We thought it was such a great idea that the Ullapool wildlife watch group campaigned to get one of these installed in Ullapool."
A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: "We’re delighted that we’ve been able to install a new Top up Tap in Ullapool following the redevelopment of Shore Street, joining a growing network of over 100 outdoor refill points all over Scotland. We’re in the process of confirming final water quality samples before the tap is made available for locals and visitors to stay hydrated on the go.
“Ullapool was one of the earliest communities to express interest in getting a Top up Tap via young members of the Sea Savers campaign group, who contacted us to make a very persuasive case. Finding a suitable site in the village initially proved to be a challenge - and we’re very grateful for the support of the Harbour Trust and others in helping to identify such an excellent location.
“The Shore Street tap will help to encourage everyone to carry a refillable water bottle and make use of Scotland’s world class drinking water. By doing so, we can all help to turn the tide on single use plastics, while keeping healthy and saving money.”
Local environmentalist group, the Ullapool Sea Savers have also been enjoying the new refill water station. They said: "Great to see a new Scottish Water dispenser installation at the new harbour/Shore Street front, hopefully helping reduce plastic bottles."
