Thirsty and need to refill your water bottle? Green Needham is excited to announce our new Tap Map to help you find locations around town where you can fill your reusable water bottle. Water fountains and bottle filling stations are available in many local parks and inside public town buildings, like the Library, Public Services Administration Building, and Town Hall. Our map conveniently shows you where the closest water fountain or bottle filling station is located.
Tap water in Needham is a healthy and cost-effective way to stay hydrated. According to this recent article from the Needham Observer, the primary source of town water is the Needham Wellfield. The wellfield is located on town property, and draws water from an aquifer that is deep underground. Needham DPW tests the water regularly for over 100 potential contaminants and publishes the results of the drinking water quality annually.
The same cannot be said about water in single-use plastic bottles. Microplastics and toxic chemicals used to produce plastic water bottles migrate into the water and can be ingested, increasing the potential of negative health impacts. Research shows that every time the plastic cap is unscrewed on and off, even more microplastics fall into the beverage and are consumed.
Additionally, plastic waste created from single-use plastic containers is a major environmental concern. Plastic is largely not recyclable, so the majority of these bottles end up in landfills or the ocean, where they break down into microplastics and pollute our soil and water.
And purchasing water is almost 100 times more expensive than refilling a reusable water bottle at the tap! Why pay more for an inferior product? Water bottles made from stainless steel, glass or aluminum are ideal alternatives to purchasing single-use plastic water bottles.
Forgot your reusable water bottle at home? Don’t fret! There are non-plastic, single-use options available. Local stores and restaurants are starting to carry water bottled in aluminum. If you don’t see these recyclable options available where you shop, ask the store manager to stock them.
Are you a Needham business that would be willing to have customers stop by your store to refill their water bottle? Please complete this form and we would be happy to include you on our map.
Special thanks to Andy Atallah, Needham High School graduate, who is currently pursuing his MS degree in Geographic Information Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
