Douglas Borough Council is installing three free public water bottle refill stations on Douglas Promenade as part of its commitment to reduce the volume of single-use plastic waste.

Two stations are on Loch Promenade: one adjacent to the Bottleneck car park at the TT Café kiosk toilets, the other at the ‘boating pool’ toilets, while the third is at the Queen’s Promenade toilets.

Council Leader Councillor David Christian MBE JP said: ‘Installing these refill stations is not only an environmentally responsible measure but also a further demonstration of our commitment to the promenade redevelopment scheme, in which the Council will be investing £864,000 for a new bespoke lighting system.

‘At a time when the scheme is causing unavoidable traffic problems more people are choosing to make their way along the promenade on foot, so the Council is pleased to be making it easier for users to fill up their water bottles en route which we hope will help to reduce the number of discarded bottles.

‘Investing in these stations also reflects the Council’s vision, once the works are completed, of a shared-use Douglas promenade, a destination in its own right that will provide a wealth of recreational, social and entertainment opportunities.’

Ardent environmentalist and champion of the refill project Councillor Ritchie McNicholl said: ‘The growing use of plastic water bottles is creating plastic pollution on an epic scale worldwide. It’s estimated that every minute one million plastic bottles are bought around the world, a figure that is expected to rise by 20 per cent by 2021.*

‘Installing these refill stations – an investment by the Council of just under £13,000 - is a way of tackling pollution at source and reducing the amount of plastic bottle litter in our town. It also reflects the Council’s UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man partner status and our efforts to encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle, which in turn helps to protect the environment.

‘Simply put we are pledged to turn the tide on plastic pollution.’

To download the app to find out where the Island’s refill stations are located click here. 

To find out more about the refill scheme click here. 

*Euromonitor International’s global packaging trends report.