Berlin will install 100 public drinking fountains to rid the city of plastic bottles, Tag24 reports.
The authorities of the German capital intend to install 100 additional public drinking fountains on streets and squares by the end of 2019. These The Berlin Senate has allocated €1 million for this purpose. According to the municipal water supply company, Berliner Wasserbetriebe, chilled water will be available to residents and visitors of the city annually from May to October. Currently, there are approximately 50 operating drinking fountains in Berlin.
In March 2018, Berlin joined the global Blue Community project. Its supporters view water as a human right, not a commodity. Berlin officials hope that the addition of so many drinking water points will reduce plastic waste. They believe reducing plastic use is a global ambition, as a million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide, most of which end up in landfills or the ocean. Furthermore, the Berlin initiative will eliminate transportation costs, as the fountains are directly connected to the city's water supply.
The Berlin Senate promised that fountain maintenance would be carried out to the highest standard. The fountains will be cleaned every two weeks, and their water quality will be tested monthly.
Interestingly, Germans are among the top five consumers of bottled water. On average, Germans drink two to three liters of still spring water per week.
Free drinking fountains are very popular in Rome. There are over 2,000 of them in the Italian capital. In Paris, you can also drink water right on the street in most neighborhoods. The first drinking fountain appeared there in 1870, thanks to Baronet Richard Wallace, who paid for its design and installation. The fountains were subsequently named after him. Today, there are about 100 of them remaining in Paris.
Source: news.turizm.ru