A Jewel in the Crown Estate?

MIW install a #OneLess bottle filler on South St Alban’s Street, St James.

We don’t want to get ideas above our station, but we’ve just carried out an installation on Crown Estate land, doncha know.

Working with #OneLess and the London Drinking Fountain Fund has taken us to such a huge variety of locations. From the heart of the Natural History Museum to Brixton. And now, here we are, working on Crown land… Which is, of course, just like any other land in the centre of London. Expensive, noisy and very, very busy. Still, it’s nice to feel like we’re doing something just a little bit posh from time to time!

The new drinking fountain and sports bottle filling station has been placed on St Alban’s Street because it’s really flipping busy. With as many – if not more – tourists as workers visiting the area on a daily basis, St James is a hive of human activity. And that means that there’s plenty of opportunity to make a difference by cutting back on waste plastic in the area.

Everyone needs to drink water, but tourists are particularly thirsty customers when it comes to the consumption of bottled water. And you can’t blame them; when you’re away from home you can’t be expected to take everything with you. But that does mean that in areas like St James, with its striking Palace and beautiful parkland, waste plastic can be a serious problem. The new bottle filler should help to tackle that. 

Weather-proof and vandal-resistant, the Halsey Taylor 4405BF Endura II Tubular outdoor bottle filler is a perfect fit for its regal surroundings. It’s high performing, easy to use and accessible to all. It’s also pre-treated with anti-microbial protection, to ensure that users have a safe and healthy drinking experience.

The hope, of course, is that people will use the bottle filler to top up any bottles they might be carrying, rather than picking up new plastic. This way, we can all work together to help reduce the vast amounts of plastic – 8 million tonnes annually – that enter our waterways and wreak havoc on our environment. It’s currently predicted that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish, if we don’t do something to stop the present trend. In donating this bottle filler – and 19 others – to the London Drinking Fountain Fund, all of us at MIW Water Cooler Experts are trying to do our bit. It’s easier for you to do yours – just use the fountains and bottle fillers when you see them.

Crown land, parkland, high street or shopping centre; wherever you are, you have a chance to make a difference. By ditching the single-use plastic and opting to carry your own drinks bottle when you’re out and about, topping up as you go, could have an enormous impact on the environment. And, if you think about it, your bank balance.

So, go on, give it a slurp. Everyone’s a winner if we can put an end to waste plastic.