It has been reported that a Local Borough Council spent over forty one thousand pounds in a single year on bottled water for staff meetings. This shocking amount was uncovered by The Mirror and will no doubt be met with anger and dismay by many families, businesses and individuals who are going to experience a tougher time all round in lieu of the recent stringent budget cuts. Other unnecessary spends by the council included over £20K on snacks for staff meetings and over £11k on a dinner for the Mayor.

In addition to the ridiculous amount spent on bottled water, the issue raises a very real environmental concern. As the Government constantly harps on about carbon footprint, real consideration must be given to the large volume of disposable water bottles used by public sector staff. There are many alternatives to disposable water bottles and indeed there are many eco-friendly promotional products and items of eco-friendly promotional merchandise that can do the job just as well.

Issuing staff with one off promotional products such as the Eco Friendly Hydropal filter bottle, or promotional merchandise such as the Eco Friendly Biodegrade-a-bottle, must surely represent a more budget and environmentally friendly alternative.