We are made of at least 50 per cent water, us women, 60 per cent if you’re male, and we desiccate as we age. It’s thirsty weather this summer and sales of bottled water soar when temperatures do. We bin 2.5 million plastic bottles every day in Ireland, according to social enterprise Refill Ireland. It’s a staggering number of single-use plastic for a tepid sip of something that tastes of plastic by the time you down the dregs.
In tests, bottled water has been found to contain more microplastics than tap water. An array of phthalates, the chemicals that make plastic pliable, can leach into the water we drink from plastic bottles. So not so yummy for us or our environment.
A refillable bottle makes every kind of sense. It’s cheaper, healthier and better for the environment. What refillables lack is the convenience. And that’s where Refill Ireland comes in. Set up in 2017 by environmental scientist Barry O’Connor, it has been on a mission to make the “forever water bottle” as much of a daily habit as reusable shopping bags became after the plastic bag tax was introduced.
Having road-tested a few refillable bottles, my favourite is a double-walled stainless steel one. You can buy one on the Refill site for €15. It keeps tap water cool, even cooler if you add an ice cube or two first thing in the morning. And it can keep hot drinks hot for coffee or tea on the go with a stainless steel cup to eliminate another single-use item. The half-litre size is the most convenient, light enough to carry without feeling like a boulder in your bag. But on these hotter days that much water might not feel like enough. This is where Refill Ireland’s Tap Map app comes in.
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Businesses sign up to say they will happily refill a water bottle for free. You might spot their window sticker as you pass. On the app you can see your nearest neighbourhood tap wherever you are at the time. The businesses gain by bringing potential customers in through the door. The refill is free. There is no obligation to buy anything but grateful thirsty people may well pick up a snack when quenching their thirst.
Refill Ireland also installs public water taps, can help make your sports day or running event plastic-waste free with rentable reusable cups, hydration stations and cubes of drinking water that can be dispensed on the sides of pitches where there are no taps. Refillable is the coolest way to stay cool. And Refill Ireland is helping to make that easier with generosity and community-building as a renewable part of the packaging.
