Scottish Water Top Up Taps Save 15 Million Bottles

Scottish Water’s innovative network of Top Up Taps has achieved a significant milestone, saving the equivalent of 15 million plastic bottles.

The publicly-owned utility has announced that its network of over 130 iconic blue Top Up Taps, designed to promote the use of refillable water bottles and reduce single-use plastic, has now saved the equivalent of 15 million single-use 330ml plastic bottles.

The achievement is a result of people using the taps to refill their bottles and stay hydrated, tapping into the country’s water supply while on the go.

Scottish Water has also highlighted the top 10 most-used Top Up Taps, with the tap at The Meadows in Edinburgh leading the way, followed by Buchanan Street in Glasgow city centre, and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, which was the first tap installed.

Scottish Water has thanked everyone who has used the Top Up Taps and is encouraging more people to do so.

The network of 131 taps, from Lerwick in the north to Portpatrick in the south, provides free public mains water and digitally logs the amount of water used.

There are 11 Top Up Taps in the Edinburgh area, 10 in Greater Glasgow, three in Perth and two each in Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness. The first tap was installed at the Scottish Parliament in October 2018. The taps are equipped with technology that tracks water usage, providing data on cost savings, plastic reduction, and water volume used.

“It is inspiring to see people in Scotland taking positive steps towards a circular Scotland – one refill at a time.”

Andrew Pankhurst
Communications Lead, Net Zero Waste Scotland

The Top Up Tap initiative is part of Scottish Water’s Your Water Your Life campaign, which celebrates the quality of Scotland’s water and encourages environmental protection and personal health. Single-use plastic continues to pollute our seas and beauty spots, making refillable water bottles a better choice for the planet and your pocket.

Alex Plant, Scottish Water Chief Executive, said: “We are thrilled that so many people have used the taps, saving the equivalent of 15 million single-use plastic bottles. We thank everyone who fills up from our big blue taps with a reusable bottle and hope more people will do the same in the future.

“With summer approaching and more of us out and about, we urge everyone to carry a refillable bottle and use our Top Up Taps to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is essential for concentration, health, and performance.

“With 131 distinctive Top Up Taps across the country, you can easily top up while on the go."

Andrew Pankhurst, Communications Lead at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “This is a fantastic example of the circular economy in action.

“By making use of Scottish Water’s blue Top up Taps and saving the equivalent of 15 million single use plastic bottles from circulation, we’re seeing proof of how small changes can drive big environmental transformation.

“It is inspiring to see people in Scotland taking positive steps towards a circular Scotland – one refill at a time.”

Scott McColm, who leads the Scottish Water team behind the taps, added: “Scottish Water is proud to collaborate with our customers and communities across Scotland, from our largest cities to small, rural, and island communities, where we have installed taps. This is a positive and easily identifiable success story.

“We are at the forefront of developing our network of Top Up Taps, utilising state-of-the-art technology to remotely monitor usage and temperatures with near real-time reporting. We’re delighted to have reached this significant sustainability milestone, and people throughout Scotland should be proud of this achievement.”

Scottish Water research has established that the average household has six reusable bottles in cupboards and the company is encouraging people to remove the bottles from cupboards, give them a clean and let them fulfil their destiny - to be topped up from the tap, either a tap in that household or other property or at one of our Top Up Taps! For more information, or to find your nearest Top Up Tap, visit Find My Nearest Tap - Scottish Water (yourwateryourlife.co.uk).

 

Top of the Taps

The Top 10 Top Up Taps and the average number of bottles saved in the past year are:

1 Edinburgh Meadows Pavilion - average number of bottles saved in the past year 14,721

2 Glasgow Buchanan Street – 14,425

3 Edinburgh Scottish Parliament – 12,096

4 Balmaha – 11,806

5 Edinburgh Portobello Promenade – 11,607

6 Edinburgh Leith Links Refill Station – 11,475

7 East Kilbride Calderglen Park - 10, 530

8 Glasgow Riverside Museum -10,167

9 Edinburgh Royal Botanical Gardens – 10,030

10 Edinburgh Grassmarket – 9,727