Community & Labour Action

Hay River, NWT - Town adopting bottled water ban

Written by Diana Yeager
Wednesday, 02 September 2009 10:37
The Town of Hay River is phasing out bottled water in its facilities as of the council meeting on August 24.

The report read during the meeting said that 40 to 80 per cent of water bottles end up as litter or in landfills. In an effort to reduce environmental impact and lead the way in making such a change, Town Hall banned bottled water months ago. Now they are encouraging other municipal facilities to follow suit.

"We're leading by example by starting with the Town," said Mayor Marc Miltenberger. "That will follow with the contractors who use our facilities."

Other town properties, such as the Don Stewart Recreation Centre, will be finding alternatives to bottled water as well. For food service providers like Sub on the Hub, this could mean setting up a water cooler in place of bottles.

"Over the next year, as contracts come up for the use of our concessions, we'll start to implement the program with going way from the use of bottled water where possible," said Miltenberger. "We will come to an agreement to go away from bottled water, using juices or other healthier alternatives."

Another benefit of banning bottled water is the recognition of having a clean town. Miltenberger says the program could speak to visitors and reinforce the pristine condition of the NWT.

"It's common knowledge that most bottled water is tap water, and we have some of the most pristine water in the world," said Miltenberger.

"Let's capitalize on that and work toward our environmental agenda in being more responsible."

"We're marketing ourselves and what we have to sell, and part of that is our water."

As a leader in preserving the environment, Town Hall has replaced its bottled water with juice boxes.