Alliance Councillor Ross McMullan is calling for Belfast City Council to introduce water refill stations across the city, as he backed #NationalRefillDay ahead of bringing a motion on the issue to Belfast City Council.

Citing the importance of encouraging local people to reuse water bottles, Ross said the move would aid attempts to end our reliance on single use plastics, of which plastic water bottles are amongst the chief offenders.

“Belfast City Council has an important role to play in leading the way to a more sustainable future,” he said, “Which is why it’s important we invest in Belfast’s future and I hope everyone will be able to get behind my motion to see plastic bottle use vastly reduced.

“There are some excellent examples of this across county cities in the UK and Ireland, and they would be fantastic additions for making it easier in our everyday lives to reduce plastic waste – something Alliance has already been leading on in the last mandate.

“My motion will assess how best we can act to install refill stations and I would also be encouraging other Council’s and stakeholders across Northern Ireland to consider this move.

“There is an environmental crisis happening right now. Alone water refill stations won’t solve the environmental crisis, but they’re definitely part of the solution. The challenge is on all of us to work to protect our area for generations to come.”