Latest news : Bottle design helps world's poor

A PhD student has created an innovative water bottle which allows people to fill up at thousands of food and drink outlets, reducing the number of plastic bottles being discarded.

Edwin Broni-Mensah set up the Give Me Tap scheme while still an Applied Maths student at Manchester University, aiming to reduce the number of waste plastic bottles and cutting down on expensive bottled water.

The business works by allowing customers to buy a refillable aluminium bottle which can be filled up for free at outlets who have signed up to the scheme.

Retail outlets simply have to provide a water source to sign up to the scheme, and can benefit through increased customer numbers and by improving their corporate responsibility.

Edwin aims to give up to 70% of profits from the business directly to fund independent water projects in areas of drought, and is already supporting the All4One Namibia Water Project, which helps to provide clean water to 1,200 people in the Kalahari area of the southern African country.

‘Give Me Tap helps people reduce their carbon footprint and the waste from discarded plastic bottles, save money and even helps shop owners to increase footfall into their premises,’ says Edwin.

‘We are making water easily accessible to anyone, anywhere, any time both at home and abroad. Our message is sustainability – stay hydrated, reduce waste and save money.’

An estimated 200 billion bottles of water are consumed annually worldwide, which if lined up together would stretch to the moon and back 56 times.

The UK purchases 13 billion plastic bottles annually, of which only 10% are recycled with the rest going to landfill.