The environmental impact of bottled water: How can water dispensers reduce waste?

Single-use plastic bottles damage the planet both during the production process and when discarded into landfill or the ocean. The climate crisis is heating up after the 2023 marked the hottest year on record; and it’s no surprise the UK is cracking down on single-use plastics with ban in place from October 2023.

All companies should be looking for ways to make their workplaces sustainable. Our advice: under counter water dispensers are a must.

Discover More: FreshGround’s sustainability ethos.

What’s wrong with traditional water coolers?

Many commercial settings still stock ginormous water coolers made with single-use plastics. These are then disposed of quickly and replaced when the water is finished. Not only does this pollute the environment with single-use plastics, it also causes significant transport emissions in the process. See 4 reasons why they are a bad idea:

Single-use plastic pollution

Firstly, most single-use plastic water bottles end up in landfills or in the natural environment, such as the sea, rivers, and beaches. This plastic waste can take hundreds of years to decompose and can harm wildlife, as animals may ingest or become entangled in it.

Resource depletion

Sustainability is about using resources mindfully. Producing plastic water bottles requires a significant amount of resources, including oil and water. This contributes to resource depletion and can also lead to critical environmental problems, such as oil spills and water pollution.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Of course, the production, transportation, and disposal of plastic water bottles all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions as well which has a knock-on effect on climate change.

Health risks

Some research suggests that plastic water bottles may contain harmful chemicals, such as bisphenol-A (BPA), which can leach into the water and cause health problems.

If that’s not enough reason to go green and get rid of single-use plastic water bottles in the office, we don’t know what is! The solution however is simple – get your office an undercounter water tap.

How can an under counter water dispenser help?

An undercounter tap provides high-quality filtered drinking water, direct from the mains water feed. This drastically reduces the use of plastic bottles because people can easily access fresh, filtered and great tasting water straight from the tap.

If you’re an office or facilities manager, you’ll understand that keeping your office team happy, healthy and hydrated at work is important. Staying hydrated can help with mental clarity, productivity, and energy levels. It’s also critical to our overall health and well-being.

For these reasons, getting an undercounter water tap that provides easy access to filtered, chilled, sparkling and even boiling water could be considered essential for your office.

The UK government recommends that we should all drink around 6-8 glasses daily which is around 1.2 litres in total. An undercounter water tap helps to support your team in making it easy to stay hydrated at work and helps to keep your business sustainable.

Discover More: Water dispensers for offices and commercial spaces

Environmental benefits

And finally, an undercounter tap can help your business achieve its sustainability goals – something that’s increasingly important for business owners. The environmental benefits of installing a water tap are numerous.

They’re far more energy efficient than a kettle when it comes to boiling water. They also save you and your team the time you’d waste waiting for the kettle to boil, as hot water is delivered instantly via the tap.

Of course, the main aspect is that by providing fresh, filtered water in the office, your team will no longer opt for bottled water in plastic bottles. To further help reduce your use of plastic, you could also encourage your team to use water bottles made from sustainable materials and even gift your team with branded water bottles or cups and mugs at work.

Finally, remember to ensure that the filtration system used in the tap is also environmentally friendly. Lots of undercounter water taps now come with filtration systems that use eco-friendly materials and reduce waste, so don’t forget to look for these features when making your choice. Your water tap provider should be able to advise you about this along with helping you find the perfect solution for your office.

Get in touch

There are lots of factors to consider when choosing your undercounter water tap and our team are experts on the different models and ranges we offer. So if you need any help with what’s right for you and your team, simply get in touch with us.