Examples how to reduce plastic water bottles
There exist a wide range of alternatives and options to eliminate plastic water bottles, e.g. by offering filtered water via water stations or providing glass bottles. We show you examples from tour operators and hotels worldwide and their creative solutions to plastic water bottles.
AIDA Cruises (Germany)
The Cruise company AIDA Cruises has been engaging since many years in reducing plastic waste. By the end of 2021, AIDA has already reduced the number of single-use plastic items on board their ships by more than 70 percent compared to 2018.
Guests receive a reusable bottle which they can refill on board via water stations.
Chamäleon reisen (Germany)
The tour operator saves 650,000 plastic bottles per year by providing their guests with a so-called “Nature Bottle” at the start of a trip since 2015. The bottles are being designed in the destinations and can be filled on the trips with clean and fresh water at any time without charge.
About 22 tons of plastic waste are saved by this measure per year.
Adriatic DMC (Croatia)
Due to the high temperatures in summer in Croatia, staying well hydrated on tours is both a necessity and challenge. Water in plastic bottles quickly becomes warm and a liter size bottle is too heavy to carry on a tour meaning that additional plastic waste is produced where guides consume several smaller bottles.
The solution of Adriatic DMC is to order reusable insulated bottles that guides could refill throughout the day from a tap.
Cleanwave Foundation (Spain)
In order to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles the non-profit organization is building a network of water refill stations on the Balearic Islands where guests can refill their bottle with fresh drinking water for free. With this initiative more than 6.8 million plastic water bottles have been saved since July 2017.
Hotels and other tourism businesses can be part of this initiative as well.
Water stations at TUI MAGIC LIFE Cala Pada
In order to continue offering guests unlimited and high-quality drinking water, but reducing plastic waste at the same time, five water stations were set up in the hotel in cooperation with the local partner aguaKMzero. In addition, reusable drinking water bottles are available for guests to purchase.
At the reception or in the pool area, guests can now receive fresh, filtered drinking water at any time. Signs at the water stations not only inform about the measure, but also about the drinking water fountains by the Cleanwave Foundation available throughout the Balearic Islands, where drinking bottles can be filled free of charge.
In total, TUI MAGIC LIFE Cala Pada is saving 120,000 large and almost 10,000 small plastic water bottles per season with the new water stations which equals around 5,500 kg of plastic. In addition, service for the guest is improved by offering a higher water quality from the water stations.
Water Station at Universal Beach Hotels
Universal Beach Hotels has installed water station in all of their 17 hotels on Mallorca in order to provide plastic-free water to their guests.
In addition their regular guests receive a free, reusable bottles branded with the hotel chain’s logo. By doing so the guests can not only refill their bottle at the water stations in the hotel but also at the water stations installed by Cleanwave Foundation on all Balearic Islands.
