Wave of new water fountains coming to North Tyneside to aid fight against plastic

A wave of new water fountains is coming to North Tyneside as the council makes an effort to battle single use plastic.

After the popularity of the seven water fountains installed along the coast last year, North Tyneside Council has rolled them out to more areas in the borough.

Visitors are now able to fill up their water bottles at five parks and open spaces – taking the total in the borough to 12 – and there are more to come.

The new locations include Rising Sun Country Park, Benton; Northumberland Park, North Shields; Lakeside Park, Killingworth; Souter Park, Monkseaton; and Churchill Playing Fields, Whitley Bay.

The project is part of the Council’s ambitious plans to work towards being carbon net zero by 2030 – 20 years ahead of the Government’s target.

Speaking about the work, Cllr Sandra Graham, cabinet member for Environment said: “As a Council, we are absolutely committed to doing everything within our gift to create a sustainable borough, and through a wide variety of initiatives, we are making a difference.

“Single-use plastics – such as plastic bags, cutlery, straws and takeaway cups – create avoidable waste and the impact on the environment is huge. By installing more fountains, we hope people will refill reusable bottles, rather than buying bottles of water which are often only used once.

“I am pleased we have expanded the number of them in the borough and I look forward to seeing more in other areas of the borough in the coming months.”

Since the local authority declared a climate emergency back in 2019 – and more recently announced its carbon net zero ambitions – a range of interventions have been delivered to reduce both the Council’s and the borough’s carbon footprints.

Last year, the Council announced reductions in the amount of carbon emissions, with savings of 52 per cent for the council and 41 per cent for the borough as a whole.

The Council’s programme of work will continue to try and make a difference with initiatives including installing LED street lighting; installing low-carbon heating, energy efficiency and energy generation measures in council homes and buildings; further improving recycling; increasing sustainable transport options; creating a North East Community Forest, electrifying appropriate Council vehicles; and more.