Today, the Mayor revealed the locations of 50 new public water fountains being installed across London to help stop the single-use of plastic bottles and reduce plastic waste.
In response, Chair of the London Assembly Environment Committee, Caroline Russell AM, said:
“The London Assembly recently agreed a unanimous motion, calling on the Mayor to lobby the Government to introduce strict measures to cut plastic waste.
“Each year, at least 8 million tonnes of plastics are discarded into the world’s oceans. We have a duty as one of the most progressive cities in the world to lead on this and the introduction of new public water fountains is a great start.
“In a recent report from the London Assembly Environment Committee, we encouraged the Mayor to consider schemes to reduce the single-use of plastic water bottles, such as water refill schemes and access to tap water across the TfL network, especially given the heat in the summer.
“This is just the start of what we should be doing as city to help reduce plastic waste and protect our environment. And while we welcome the announcement, there is still a lot more to do. We will continue to call on the Mayor to invest and introduce schemes that will dramatically reduce our reliance on damaging single-use plastics.”
Notes to editors
- Caroline Russell AM, Chair of the Environment Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the London Assembly Environment Committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Aoife Nolan on 020 7983 4067. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.