US town bans bottled water

NEW YORK, USA: A town in the US has banned single-serving bottled water in an attempt to curb the sale of plastic bottles and reduce pollution in the state of Massachusetts.

A law passed by the town of Concord came into effect on 1 January making single-serving bottles of water illegal.

The ban is intended to encourage the use of tap water and only applies to "non-sparkling, unflavored drinking water."

Coke, Pepsi and all other soft drinks are exempt from the ban.

Jean Hill, an 84-year-old activist, thought up the ban, arguing that bottles fill garbage dumps, while consumers are lured into drinking water they could obtain for a tiny fraction of the cost from their own taps.

"The bottled water companies are draining our aquifers and selling the water they extract back to us at a premium. I'm going to work on this until I drop," Hill told The New York Times in an interview several years ago that was published in 2010.

In terms of the new law first time offenders get a warning.

However, anyone caught selling bottled water for a second time will be fined US$25 and thereafter US$50 for each offence.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge