‘More water fountains needed in Hong Kong’, after government pulls small bottles from vending machines

Woman behind dispenser-locating smartphone app calls for fountains in public museums and libraries

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Pang said water dispensers were a vital alternative to vending machines in the city. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 2:57pm, 24 Nov 2017Updated: 7:39pm, 24 Nov 2017

A lack of incentive to build drinking fountains in Hong Kong might dilute the effectiveness of a new government move to remove small water bottles from its vending machines, environmental activists have said.

Rachel Pang Hoi-yan, the founder of Water for Free, an NGO that promotes the use of water dispensaries in the city, said government departments had poured cold water on the idea of adding drinking fountains at city halls and museums. Event organisers were also discouraged as they often sought sponsorship from companies selling bottled water.

Pang’s plea came after it emerged on Thursday that vending machines at government premises would stop stocking water in bottles of one litre or less from February 20 next year. The policy was intended to clamp down on unnecessary plastic waste.

Rachel Pang said she hoped officials would change their attitude to drinking fountains. Photo: Edward Wong

A spokeswoman for the LCSD said it would consider installing water fountains when planning new facilities and renovating existing facilities, according to needs and circumstances.

More than 5 million polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles go into Hong Kong landfills every day, and will take hundreds of years to decompose.