Free water bottle refills for walkers on Wales Coast Path to tackle plastic waste

Walkers will be able to access free drinking water along the Wales coast path to help tackle plastic pollution.

The Welsh Government is working with towns, villages and food and drink businesses to sign up to become refill points.

Those signed up to this drive to reduce the use of single use plastics in Wales will be visible to walkers through window stickers and be listed in a bi-lingual refill app.

The app will provide the public with a list of locations where free drinking water is available, making it easier for people to refill their water bottles without needing to purchase single use bottles.

Environment Minister Hannah Blythyn said: “I’m delighted to announce today that the Wales coast path will be the first location in our drive to make Wales the world’s first refill nation.

“Wales is the first country in the world to have a dedicated footpath that stretches the entire coastline, and we as a Government are very much looking forward to working with the communities along these 870 glorious miles to curb the use of single use plastic.

“This is just the first step in our ambition to become the world’s first ‘Refill nation’.

“More refill points along our coast will help reduce the number of plastic bottles ending up in the sea, which can have a devastating effect on our marine environment.”

The Wales coast path is an 870-mile walking route that runs the entire coast of Wales and is a £14 million project that opened in 2012.

Wales is the first country in the world to have a dedicated path along the full length of its coast.