THERE will be 150 places to refill water bottles along Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’s seafront this summer, in a bid to reduce plastic waste.
BCP Council worked with environmental charity City to Sea to launch the campaign to offer free drinking water on Friday.
Water will be provided at more than 150 locations, including 18 seafront kiosks, 130 beachfront taps and 15 new “hydration stations.”
Councillor Mark Anderson, portfolio holder for environment and place, BCP Council said: “Last year, over 2,000 tonnes of rubbish was left on our beaches to be collected by our cleaning crews who work hard every day to ensure they remain spotless.
"We are proud of our award-winning blue flag beaches, but not the amount of rubbish that’s left on them, which is why this project is so important.
“We need to encourage behavioural change and reducing the plastic pollution on our beaches by offering clear signage to the free tap water and refill stations will be crucial in reducing the amount of waste left on the beach at the end of the day, so I encourage everyone to embrace the ethos of this campaign and help create a cleaner seafront for all.”
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To launch the campaign, new artwork was unveiled on the Lifeguard Corps Building near Durley Chine by graffiti artist, Rick Walker Paintshop.
The artwork includes environmental messaging like “Join the Refill Revolution” and features a range of ocean animals.
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Rick Walker, creative director of paintshop said: “City to Sea contacted us and talked about adding a focal point to the campaign that they’re running along the beach so we’ve taken on their brand style and taken it a bit further.
“It’s all about what the overcomes are of being able to use refillable bottles and not plastics. So it just shows some of the beauty of the sea and makes that connection really.
“We’ve had a really positive response from the public, loads of people are stopping to say how much they like it which is always really nice.
“I think there's a genuine love for seeing these buildings brought back into life and celebrating what everyone loves about this area, which is the sea.”
The artwork is part of the council’s “Turning the Tides” campaign that will see the beachfront transformed with a series of signage, directing people to Hydration Stations and beach taps alongside events, artworks, and installations.
Visitors to the beach can also download the Refill app which uses geo-location to direct users to their nearest ‘refill station.’
For more information visit: https://www.refill.org.uk/
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