What exactly has Bundanoon done

regarding bottled water?

Bundanoon businesses and residents have voluntarily agreed

to ban pre packaged single use bottled water from the town.

However, Bundanoon will provide residents and visitors with

free filtered water from new public water stations. These

water stations include a modern bubbler and separate taps

that allow people to replenish their refillable drink bottles.

Local businesses will also offer for sale reusable drink bottles

and some will provide for a nominal cost chilled, filtered tap

water.

Aren't you picking on the healthiest of

beverages - water?

Actually, it's more the reverse, the Bundy On Tap initiative is

actively promoting the drinking of water, by highlighting that

it is the most economical beverage available. Tap water

supplied direct to homes and offices is so cheap, as to be

almost free. Visitors to Bundanoon will be provided with free

public water stations with modern bubblers and taps for

replenishing refillable drink bottles. Bundanoon shops will

sell reusable drink bottles and offer for nominal cost chilled,

filtered tap water.

Is Bundanoon Against Bottled Water in

all cases?

The Bundy On Tap Initiative acknowledges that bottled water

can, at times, have an important role to play, Such as where

safe drinking water is not easily available, both in Australia

and internationally. At times bottled water might be the only

safe drinking water, as is often the case with natural disaster

emergencies. However, Bundanoon has safe, reliable water

that's readily accessible. This makes bottled water

unnecessary in Bundanoon.

Why not also target soft drinks?

Because soft drinks are not provided at low cost, and plumbed

directly into homes and offices, like still water is.

We encourage those people concerned about soft drinks to

develop appropriate community action in their own

neighbourhood, as Bundanoon has done regarding bottled

water

We also note that it is soft drink companies that own the

major bottled water brands. (For example, Coca Cola Amatil

have a hold on about 30% of the Australian bottled water

market with brands such as Pump, Peats Ridge, Neverfail,

Mount Franklin and Deep Spring.) If public health was the

primary concern of the bottled water industry, it would seem

soft drink drink producers would themselves be best placed to

dampen consumer interest in soft drinks.

Why not also target sparkling water?

This was considered by the Bundy On Tap working group,

and was even suggested by some businesses. However, as it is

not available from the tap system.

However, as with the soft drink question, we encourage

communities who also feel strong about sparkling water to

initiate their own local neighbourhood action in response to

their concerns.

Won't the livelihood of businesses be

affected?

It is the businesses that are the real heroes in this initiative.

It is their bottom line that will be affected, yet they are right

behind the initiative, agreeing to it, even before the

community meeting. Most businesses that were selling

bottled water believe more visitors buy bottled water than

local Bundanoon residents. Some businesses even proposed,

of their own accord, not stocking sparkling water, or even all

beverages in plastic bottles. Still water was settled on to

achieve a uniform initiative across the town.

Show them your support by not only buying your reusable

bottle and chilled, filtered tap water from these brave small

businesses, but also their other products and servives.

Will cold drinking water be available in

Bundanoon?

Absolutely. Some stores will be selling sparkling mineral water,

which is not available from municipal water systems. Some cafes

already provide free tap water in chilled glass bottles.

Other stores may offer for nominal cost chilled and filtered tap

water from special in-store water stations. Special public bubbler

water stations will dispense free filtered water.

It is anticipated that access to water in Bundanoon will be indeed

be greater than before the Bundy On Tap Initiative began.

Aren't you taking away people's right to

choose?

This is the argument of the Bottled Water Industry. Strangely

they don't seem to be championing the rights of the business

owners and residents of Bundanoon to choose what happens in

the town where they live and work everyday.

But in reality choice will actually be increased. Visitors will have

the option to buy a reusable bottled and fill it with chilled,

filtered tap water. They can bring their own reusable bottle and

pay a nominal cost to fill from in-shop chilled filtered water units.

Or fill up for free from the filtered water public bubblers. Or

bring their own water of their choice from home.

Won't this initiative lead to obesity,

especially in children?

We don't see how. Soft drinks have been around for over one

hundred years. Yet childhood obesity is a modern ailment, mostly

prevalent in the past decade or so. And it is not solely related to

diet, but also to levels of exercise. The Bundanoon Primary School

will, as part of the Bundy On Tap initiative, be installing a new

water station dispensing filtered water, via both a bubbler and a

tap for refillable bottles. Students will also receive their own

refillable water bottle.

What is the Norlex case?

Norlex Holdings is a Sydney-based business entity (ie, not

resident in Bundanoon.) Norlex hold a water licence for

50,000,000 litres per annum. They have lodged a Development

Application with the local Wingecarribee Shire Council for the

commercial extraction of water to be pumped from a bore right

within the Bundanoon precinct - about a 10 minute walk from the

Post Office. If successful, heavily laden trucks taking water from

the bore would need to negotiate a narrow lane and pass right out

front of the local Primary School.

A community group, Don't Bore Bundanoon, has opposed this

proposal for several years, with strong support from Bundanoon

residents, (Click here to see photo of one such community

protest), Wingecarribee Shire Council have also opposed this

water extraction development in the NSW Land and

Environment Court, initially winning their case, and later

fighting an appeal (with revised plans) by Norlex. The outcome of

the appeal is expected soon.

Why are people opposed to Norlex?

Many residents of Bundanoon do not wish to see the safety of

their children and their village lifestyle compromised by a

commercial development from a business that does not reside in

the town. Particularly from a development that is unnecessary,

given that perfectly healthy water is available to Australians

directly from their taps. It would also contribute to greenhouse

gas emissions, oil depletion and solid waste problems.

Is there a connection with the Bundy On

Tap initiative?

Bundy On Tap is about the far reaching environmental impacts

of bottled water, a product that is unnecessary in locations where

tap water is safe, reliable and easily available. These concerns

were held by many Bundanoon residents long before the Norlex

development application came to light. The Norlex application

merely brought the issue into even sharper focus. Rather than

just complain about the Norlex development, the community

have acted, voluntarily to do what they can to reduce the demand

for bottled water - the product that is also driving this

development.