Keep Wales Tidy launches partnership with MIW Water Cooler Experts to combat single use plastic waste in Welsh schools and businesses

Organisations across Wales are today being urged to play their part in reducing the 7.7 billion single-use plastic bottles sold in the UK every year by providing the public with clean, filtered water to refill their drinks bottles.

Today Keep Wales Tidy launches a partnership with MIW Water Cooler Experts to offer free installation and a 75% discount on the first year’s rental on drinking water refill stations for businesses in the tourism industry and in Eco-Schools* across Wales.

Individuals and businesses are becoming increasingly engaged with the issues of climate change and other threats to the natural world. Single-use plastics have particularly received a lot of attention, thanks to documentaries such as Blue Planet. The Welsh Government is taking steps to phase out single-use plastic and is committed to making Wales the world’s first Refill nation.
In the UK 38.5m plastic bottles are used every day – only just over half make it to recycling, while more than 16m are put into landfill, burnt or leak into the environment and oceans each day.**

Four bottle refill stations were installed in Bridgend College, Pencoed Campus and Queen’s road Campus in September 2019 and in just under 6 months the digital usage counters suggest they have saved the equivalent of 36,898 plastic bottles being used.

Bridgend College’s Assistant Principal Learner Journey, Joe Baldwin said:

“As the first college in Wales to publicly support the climate emergency, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact, including the reduction of single use plastic across our campuses and reducing our carbon footprint. This year we issued all students with a reusable water bottle and installed bottle refill stations across our campuses, removing single use plastic cups. We have also replaced bottled drink vending machines and removed plastic cutlery and plastic disposables across all of our catering outlets. Since installing the water refill stations, we have received numerous requests from students for us to install more across our campuses, which is really great! The digital usage counters are a great way to engage students and staff in seeing the impact and difference they’re making on reducing single use plastic.”

Louise Tambini, Deputy Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy said

“We are always looking for ways to help communities reduce their plastic use, so we are delighted to be working in partnership with MIW Water Coolers. We’ll be encouraging all our Eco-Schools, Green Flag parks, Green Key accredited businesses and other supporters to get involved and make the most of this special offer. We hope that together we can increase the number of water refill stations across the country.”

Mike Winter, CEO of MIW Water Coolers said

“We are passionate about putting an end to our reliance on single-use plastic bottles and are supporting Keep Wales Tidy to provide vandal-proof and hygienic bottle refill stations to schools and businesses across Wales. Water fountains and refill stations are becoming more sophisticated and can now keep track of how many bottles have been saved which is really motivating for users.”

To find out more businesses and schools can visit: https://www.miw.co.uk/sectors/ and complete the form to receive the discount.