Some New York City lawmakers want fire hydrants retrofitted with water bottle refilling stations, in a bid to cut down on single-use plastic.
© Daniel DeLoach/Utica Observer-Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – If New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher has his way, fire hydrants around the Big Apple could soon be changed. He wants to pass legislation that would require the fire hydrants to be retrofitted — allowing them to double as water bottle refilling stations.
He says the goal is to cut down on single-use plastic, such as water bottles sold at bodegas and grocery stores. If the bill passes, more New Yorkers may look to carry refillable water bottles, making use of the fire hydrants. Bottcher wrote a statement that reads: “It’s sometimes easy to overlook the simple things that can make a big impact. New York City has some of the best municipal tap water on the planet, and we should be making it readily available in public spaces.”
A pilot program will go ahead and retrofit five hydrants in each borough, and from April through September they will have the water bottle refill stations in place. Other cities have taken this step, including Toronto. And many environmentalists applaud the idea, in a bid to reduce plastic piling up in landfills.
