New water refill tap installed in St Andrews in a bid to protect the environment

A new water refill tap has been installed in St Andrews to help improve the environment.

The tap is located outside the public library in the town's Church Square.

It's part of Scottish Water's "Your Water Your Life" campaign.

The campaign is encouraging people to drink more tap water to keep hydrated, save money and avoid using disposable plastic bottles.

Today is Global Recycling Day and people are being urged to switch to reusable bottles instead.

More than 30 refill taps of this kind have been installed across Scotland, including another one in Fife located in Dunfermline.

It's hoped there will be more than 70 of them across the country by the summer.

The blue top up taps digitally track use of water.

So far, the equivalent of more than 315,000 single-use plastic bottles have been saved with the installation of the free refill taps.

There are extra safety and cleaning measures in place on all the refill taps due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This includes additional deep cleaning, disinfecting and maintenance.

Councillor Ross Vettraino, Fife Council's Environment Convener, said: "These refill taps convert a single-use water bottle to one that can be used time and time again, thereby enabling the community to reduce its reliance on single-use plastics. 

"Such plastics, which include those in which bottled water is sold, pose a particular threat to the environment and to the future of the planet because of the energy they consume in their manufacture and because of their persistence in the environment if they aren’t properly recycled."

Scott Fraser, Regional Communities Manager with Scottish Water, said: "The home of golf and Scotland’s oldest university is a perfect location for our latest refill tap.

"The top up taps bring a supply of clear, fresh and great-tasting drinking water right to the heart of St Andrews for everyone.

"There’s a growing appetite from the public to carry a reusable bottle with them and our refill taps give them easier access free water while they are out and about.

"Today is Global Recycling Day and we are urging more people to get into the habit of carrying a refill bottle and using our refill taps to top up with Scotland’s world class drinking water.

"Our message is simple – these taps are great for health, your pocket and the environment."