Bundanoon, Australia’s residents voted to ban the sale of bottled water at a community meeting this month. Starting in September, the small town’s food retailers will begin to sell reusable bottles in place of bottled water; the reusable bottles can be filled by the new drinking fountains and filtered water dispensers around the community. Though this decision will have a positive environmental effect, the motion to ban bottled water was initiated when a Sydney-based beverage company announced plans to extract millions of liters of water from the local aquifer.
Bundanoon’s decision reflects a growing trend among governments and restaurateurs. The New South Wales government said that they will stop buying bottled water and in the United States, various local and state governments have ceased using bottled water in their offices. Restaurateurs have also opted to serve tap water rather than imported bottled water. Bundanoon is the first town to ban the sale of bottled water and in doing so has ignited further discussion about the beverage’s environmental impact.
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