Community & Labour Action

City braces for bottle battle: London (Ontario) weighs whether to ban bottled water sales on city property

JONATHAN SHER, London Free Press, August 11, 2008 - Londoners and big beverage companies will sound off today as city hall considers whether to tap out bottled water sales at city facilities.

The changes being considered would still allow people to bring water bottles to city arenas, golf courses and other facilities -- but sales of that product would be phased out.

Praised by environmentalists and criticized by the bottled water industry, London's proposal isn't unique -- a dozen bans are in place or being considered by Canadian municipalities and school boards.

"We have a bottled water industry that is hugely interested. They fear this is the tip of the iceberg," said Pat Donnelly, the city's urban watershed program manager.

Two forces are driving the city's proposal, he said:

- To promote city tap water as safe and a bargain compared to the bottled variety.

- To protect the environment by minimizing the use of bottled water that must be trucked to London and too often ends up in the landfill.

"Certainly, tap water has a much smaller environmental footprint," Donnelly said.

About 40 million single-use beverage bottles are sold in London each year, but only 20 million are recycled city officials say.

The production of bottled water creates up to 150 times as much greenhouse gas as tap water, officials add.

Plans to phase out bottled water sales won't leave Londoners high and dry, Donnelly said -- sales will only be eliminated once there's a supply of tap water at city sites.

New water fountains will have long necks to make it easy for people to fill up their own bottles with tap water -- one is already in place in the city hall cafeteria where the sale of bottled water was phased out weeks ago.

The issue is now before city council's environment and transportation committee, which could recommend a phase-out of bottled water sales to city council.

As city officials phase in changes, they hope Londoners change their attitudes about the wisdom of using tap water.

"We're interested in changing behaviour," Donnelly said.

The bottled water industry says behaviour will change -- but not how the city expects.

Nestle Canada, which produces or distributes 35 per cent of the bottled water sold in Canada, says consumers who can't drink bottled water will turn to other, less healthful, bottled drinks.

"Very few will consider tap water," Nestle spokesperson John Challinor said.

Challinor points to a survey done by Probe Research Inc., a Winnipeg company that receives some funding from Nestle and asks Canadians about their attitudes toward drinking water issues.

But Probe Research president Scott MacKay told The Free Press that survey results shouldn't be used as evidence that consumers who can't buy bottled water will buy other bottled beverages instead.

"I don't think we have data to support that. It's an inference at best," he said.

The safety of tap water was questioned last year after The Free Press discovered elevated lead levels in London and elsewhere in Ontario.

But Donnelly says the new regulations that ensued -- requiring testing for lead and corrective treatment -- should make residents confident that tap water is safe.

Selling bottled water at city facilities undermines that message, Donnelly said.

London draws its water from Lakes Huron and Erie.

Challinor doesn't question the tap water safety, but asked how vigilantly London will maintain water fountains.

"The first time a kid innocently leaves his gum in that water fountain, it's over for that fountain," he said.

Bottled water, too, has come under scrutiny as critics question the safety of plastic bottles and a mandatory testing regime that's less vigorous than required of municipal tap water.

Nestle disputes those claims, defends its products as the "safest, securest, highest quality choice of water," and says it meets standards that go beyond regulatory requirements.

BOTTLED WATER 101

The issue: City hall is considering phasing out the sale of bottled water at city facilities and improving access to tap water through the use of water fountains with long spigots so bottles can be filled.

Public input: A meeting of city council's environment and transportation committee is scheduled tonight at 7 p.m. at city hall, to gather input.

Supporters say: Tap water is more vigorously tested than bottled water, isn't subjected to risks associated with some plastic bottling and causes much less environmental harm than bottled water that's trucked to London and too often ends up in the landfill.

Opponents say: Bottled water removes chemicals that produce odours and flavours that some dislike, is a healthy alternative to sweetened drinks and is valued by consumers for its convenience.

Who's involved? Environmentalists, citizens' groups such as the Council of Canadians and the bottled water industry will speak tonight.

How we got here: In December, council directed staff to consider the viability of eliminating the sale of bottled water at city facilities. Staff presented a proposal in May to phase out sales as tap water is made available through fountains.

What's happened so far: The city has eliminated sale of bottled water at its cafeteria.

BOTTLE SALE PHASE-OUT

Proposed timeline:

- Sept. 1: City hall, Market Tower and A.J. Taylor building.

- Spring 2009: Golf courses, Storybook Gardens and city-operated concessions:

- Next 16 months: Vending machines and food services at arenas/community centres.