Montrose has become the first town in Tayside to have a state-of-the art water refill point installed in its centre.
Members of Montrose Community Trust’s Walk and Talk Group helped Scottish Water staff turn on the High Street ‘Top Up Tap’- only the 14th to be installed across Scotland.
The tap is part of Scottish Water’s ‘Your Water, Your Life’ campaign, which aims to slash the amount of dumped plastic in town centres and beauty spots by encouraging more people to carry a refillable bottle and drink tap water.
Scottish Water plans to install 70 of the eye-catching blue devices over the next 18 months, with taps already in place in Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The utility company has requested permission to install a tap in Dundee on City Square, beside the information board that sits outside the Clydesdale Bank.
Gemma Lownie, from the Montrose Walk and Talk group, said the tap could help to reduce littering in the centre of town.
She said: “We regularly visit some of the many beautiful spots around Montrose, including the beach and harbour and it is a sad reality that there is very often litter lying around.
“If more people start using a refillable bottle, hopefully that would see a reduction in the amount of plastic bottles we see thrown away during our walks and help protect the lovely surroundings we are lucky enough to enjoy here in the north-east.
“The Top Up Tap will be a great addition to the High Street and will hopefully encourage more people to carry a reusable bottle if they know there is somewhere they can easily refill it when they are out and about in town,” she added.
Clive Duncan of Scottish Water, said: “We’re so pleased to be able to bring one of our hi-tech Top Up Taps to Montrose, making it easier for locals and visitors to stay hydrated on the go and enjoy our great tasting water whenever they are out and about.
“We’re encouraging everybody to top up from the tap as much as possible and get into the habit of carrying a refillable bottle with them when they leave the house. As well as the health benefits of drinking more water, it also saves you money and helps reduce waste,” he added.
Since the first tap was installed in Edinburgh in October 2018, more than 40,000 litres of water have been drunk from the Top Up Taps – the equivalent of 120,000 standard 330ml single-use plastic bottles.
