The City of Red Deer hopes people will get away from the habit of buying water in recyclable containers and instead refill reusable bottles.
Members of the Environmental Advisory Committee have thrown their support behind adding fountains with gooseneck taps at recreational facilities. These taps would make it easier for people to fill up their bottles.
Nancy Hackett, environmental initiatives supervisor with the city, said the gooseneck taps haven’t yet been installed.
Promoting reusable water bottles is something the committee believes in as well, said member Larry Pimm after the committee’s annual report was presented in council chambers on Tuesday.
“We really want to encourage the use of reusable bottles, rather than single use,” said Pimm.
He said he believes that the public’s reaction to these efforts will be positive, but he expects it will take some time to catch on.
He said it’s like the use of reusable shopping bags, which were used by only a few at the start but now they are common.
“That’s been done through awareness and not through a bylaw,” he said.
The decision on whether city recreational facilities will stop selling bottled water hasn’t been made, he added.