Filling up with tap water: New project of the Blue Community Büdingen, Germany.
The ‘Blue Community Büdingen’ working group has launched a new project: ‘Refill’ aims to get more tap water into people’s drinking bottles and less bottled water.
The idea behind the new project is to create places where bottles can be refilled with drinking water free of charge: Members of the ‘Blue Community Büdingen’ working group met at the Stadtwerke Büdingen (municipal utilities) to discuss the planning status of their new ‘Refill’ project.
Since 2022, the town of Büdingen has been part of the ‘Blue Community’, a global initiative that focuses on the irreplaceable resource of water.
As a member of the Blue Community, Büdingen is committed to its four principles: Access to clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right, water services remain in public hands, partnerships with international partners are maintained, and drinking tap water instead of bottled water is promoted.
First stations installed
The last principle in particular is now being promoted in Büdingen through the nationwide ‘Refill’ initiative. The ‘Blue Community Büdingen’ working group is made up of committed citizens, local politicians, the Büdingen public utility company, the town council and Büdingen’s secondary schools.
But what is a ‘Refill Station’? Refill stations are places where you can fill a bottle with tap water for free or fill it yourself. The first refill stations have already been installed in Büdingen:
The project has been well received in the town library, the ‘JUZ Casa’ youth centre, the Wolfgang Ernst Grammar School and the Dohlberg School. Now the working group, led by Claus Wilkens, wants to expand the project.
The local filling stations should form a network,” explains Wilkens. To this end, companies and caterers should be involved in the project and be able to identify themselves as Refill Stations.
Participants in the initiative will display a blue ‘Refill Station’ sticker to indicate that they are providing free tap water. Other public buildings will also become Refill Stations, and a drinking fountain is planned for the market square in Büdingen’s old town.
The working group is currently developing standards for possible filling stations, and the first companies have already expressed interest. Jochen Heyermann, deputy head of the working group and operations manager at Stadtwerke Büdingen, is now inviting companies from Büdingen and the surrounding area to register their interest.
As soon as the working group has defined the necessary standards, the companies will also be approached with information.
Promoting the project in schools
Until the project can be implemented, the working group will continue its water education initiative in schools and kindergartens, as well as at events such as the Gallusmarkt. Hopes are particularly high for this aspect of the Blue Community. “We want to address the pupils who will later be the decision-makers when it comes to water,” says Wilkens, who teaches at a secondary school in Büdingen.
But Jochen Heyermann’s report from the ‘Trinkbar’ at Gallusmarkt made it clear that schools are not the only important institutions when it comes to ‘water education’. Many people don’t trust tap water,” he reported, listing the most common prejudices against it.
For example, ‘mineral water is better than tap water’: Both tap water and bottled water are tested, monitored and subject to health standards.
Or: ‘Old pipes in the house make the water unhealthy’: Lead pipes were rarely installed in post-war houses. You can have your water tested for a few euros.
And: “Tap water doesn’t taste good to me: Everyone tastes different, but Heyermann points out how cheap the local water is at five cents a litre and how convenient it is to go to the tap instead of the drinks market. At the same time, it is easy to do something good for the environment.
Despite old prejudices, the existing filling stations are a great success. For manager Claus Wilkens, there is another positive effect of the Blue Community: “We have brought a lot of people together on the subject of water and we work well together.”
Source: Kreis-Anzeiger (German)
See the Refill project also on the website of the Blue Community Büdingen (translated)
