Shropshire Council offers discounted prices on purchasing water butts

Shropshire Council and their contractors Veolia are working in partnership with UK plastics manufacturer Straight plc, offering residents discounts on purchasing water butts to collect and store rainwater for use in your garden.  Several sizes are available on the website www.shropshire.getcomposting.com.

It is not just about the water itself being a valuable resource but using water, even cold water, uses significant amounts of energy and thus increases emissions of greenhouse gases.  Simply using a water butt to harvest your own rainwater could save up to 5,000 litres of mains water each year.

Councillor Mike Owen, Cabinet member responsible for waste management, said:-

“Water is a precious resource which even in Shropshire is not as abundant as you might think.  With the recent heatwave we are all aware of the need to conserve water in the garden, and so we want to remind residents that water butts are available currently on a special offer, so right now really is the time to get yourself a water butt.”

Did you know?

• The average person in England and Wales uses 150 litres of water a day 
• By 2020 the demand for water could increase by 800 million extra litres of water a day
• We use almost 50 per cent more water than 25 years ago
• The average family uses 500 litres of water a day, which results in around 1.5 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.

Shropshire Council and Veolia also offer various items such as compost bins and other garden products at www.shropshire.getcomposting.com.