A petition has been launched by a Sheffield environmental community organisation to increase people\u2019s access to drinking water fountains and tackle single-use plastic waste.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheffield Action on Plastic (SAOP), have appealed for Sheffield City Council to install, maintain and signpost drinking water fountains to encourage people to quench their thirst in a healthy and sustainable way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The petition highlights how the 7.7 billion bottles of water purchased per year in the UK has contributed to substantial amounts of single-use plastic waste, and the health impact this pollution can have.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Greg Hewitt, who established SAOP in 2023 said: \u201cWe set up the petition because we found that within the plastic bottles you can buy from shops contain thousands of microplastics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople are actually drinking microplastics and that\u2019s something we\u2019re really concerned about.\u00a0There is a serious health impact there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The petition states that providing drinking water in parks and other places where children and young people congregate would present a healthy alternative to sugary drinks and address the \u2018alarming\u2019 rise of obesity rates in the youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SAOP are a volunteer-led environmental group dedicated to reducing single-use plastics, working alongside the community to encourage more sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Hewitt\u00a0added: \u201cI\u2019ve been an environmentalist for 15 years so am really keen to do something.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI started the petition because when I moved to Sheffield, I\u2019d not seen any drinking fountains, as I had in other places I\u2019ve lived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI learnt about the issues surrounding plastic waste in the oceans and wanted to do something about it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alongside their petition, SAOP has run several projects to get the community increasingly involved in environmentalism. These include a reusable coffee cup scheme at cafes and events, an organised reusable cup-hire scheme and a plastic free-market which allowed \u2018people to support a sustainable event without the need for plastic bags\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group is keen to raise awareness for their petition, as well as upcoming events including plans for a collaboration with Sheffield museums to celebrate \u2018Plastic-Free July,\u2019 film screenings for a new film detailing the effects of microplastics and another plastic-free market on the third of November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n