Local beverage retailer Big Springs has pushed back at a council initiative to promote drinking tap water over its bottled counterpart for taste and environmental reasons.
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Wagga City Council rolled out its Choose Tap campaign on Monday, a region-first push to encourage reusable bottles and source drinking water from taps and refill stations.
The campaign’s slogan - Great Taste, Less Waste - pitches tap water as the cheaper and more sustainable alternative to bottled products.
“We want to remind people that tap water tastes great and reusable bottle create less water, helping look after the environment,” said council waste education & communications officer Alice Kent.
While council’s intentions are undoubtedly positive, Big Springs business development manager Angus Wilson isn’t buying into the sustainability argument.
“Sustainability is a core part of our business,” Mr Wilson said.
“The bottle we use are recyclable, the cartons that we use are recyclable, and we have hundreds of solar panels to reduce our carbon footprint.”
The Wagga local supported council’s push to promote drinking water for health reasons but said there were far more effective means of reducing waste and saving water.
“We support any campaign that promotes water and keeping people hydrated - it’s such a neutral and sustainable product and not enough people are drinking water regularly,” Mr Wilson said.
“If this campaign is about sustainability and helping the environment, we need to look at other areas like how much water is being used to produce soft drink bottles.”
“Our business is the only spring water producer in Wagga and we’re proud of promoting a sustainable and healthy product.”
Riverina Water chairperson Greg Verdon defended the Choose Tap campaign, stressing the project was not designed to oust bottled water retailers.
“We have top-quality water in Wagga we want to promote our water as a healthy alternative,” Mr Verdon said.
“People are still going to buy bottled water for things like going away but we want people to know that we have a great tasting product on offer that people like cyclists and pedestrians can use in a variable climate like ours.”
However not everyone is convinced of Wagga’s status as a top-quality water producer.
“I’ve been drinking bottled water for years, ages before I started working with Big Springs,” said Wagga resident Linda Rodaway.
“I wouldn’t touch it and I bet council workers wouldn’t be drinking it either.”
