Plastic waste not only fills up our landfills, it also spills into the oceans and mountains, posing a great threat to wildlife. According to 2016 EPD figures, 158 tonnes of PET plastic waste was dumped in Hong Kong everyday. That works out to 6 million bottle per day! How did it get so devastating? Bottled water, cheap and expensive alike, has been marketed extensively throughout the city and the world. Why spend a thousand times more on bottled water and create unnecessary waste when Hong Kong has some of the highest quality tap water in the world?
Mission
The mission of Water for Free is to increase public awareness of plastic waste pollution issues, and promote the use of water dispensers to reduce waste at source. While our app contains over 1,500 water dispenser locations, we realize this is insufficient to serve our population of over 7 million. That’s why we urge you to join us and speak up and amplify our voice, so everyone including the authority will pay more attention to the issue. Let’s work together to reduce plastic waste by making refilling the norm.
Data
7
plastic bottles dumped by Hong Kong people everyday
1500
number of water fountains in Water for Free map
450
years it takes to decompose a plastic bottle
70
small businesses and civil groups providing free drinking water
Timeline
2013
Water For Free
Water for Free started. With no resources and technology, we simply collected and presented water fountain information on Google Map. Later the same year, volunteer was generously offered to develop and launch the first version of Water for Free iOS app.
2014
Water For Free App Launch
We thanks our second volunteer offer which helped develop and launch the first version of the Water for Free Android app.
2016
Water Fountain Rental Service
We stepped out of the web and appeared amid people in large event and provided drinking water for thousands of people, replacing the use of bottled water.
2017
Water For Free 2.0
Water for Free second version launched, with more useful information and better communication with users.
2018
Installing Water Dispenser, Serving the Community
Sponsored by Great Eagle Holdings Limited and Healthy Seed, we deliver 50 water dispensers and hold 40 talks on environment.
Jointly organizing with Southern District Council, we provide water dispensers to schools and social facilities, and hold talks and workshops.
Partners
Water for Free has grown to a larger network thanks to the following organisations and businesses. Please give them a big hand!
