More water fountains have been installed in North Tyneside as the Council continues its fight against single-use plastics.
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 significant reductions in the amount of carbon emissions that had been achieved, with savings of 52 per cent for the council and 41 per cent for the borough as a whole*.
The Council’s ambitious programme of work will continue to 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.
*The 52 per cent reduction has been achieved by the Council since 2010/11, while the borough’s carbon footprint has been reduced by 41 per cent since 2005.
Water fountains can now be found at:
- Low Lights car park toilets
- To the side of Gibraltar Rock, Tynemouth, outside of public toilets
- Tynemouth Boating Lake, outside of public toilet
- Trinity Street, North Shields, outside of public toilet
- Cullercoats Bay south, outside of public toilets
- Whitley Bay Park kiosk
- Rendezvous Café, outside of public toilets
- Northumberland Park Café
- Souter Park North, Whitley Bay, outside of public toilets
- Lakeside Park, Killingworth (West Bailey kiosk)
- Rising Sun Country Park, Benton
- Churchill Playing Fields Pavilion, Whitley Bay
