Western Cape Parliament approves plan to phase out plastic water bottles

The Western Cape Provincial Parliament has passed a motion to phase out disposable plastic water bottles over the next three months.

After this period, there will be no plastic-bottled water at all sittings, committee meetings, and parliamentary activities.

The move will see the parliamentary precinct shift to refill stations, reusable jugs and glasses, marking a step to reducing single-use plastic waste.

Dave Bryant, a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, said that this environmental shift capitalises on the province’s municipal tap water.

“The Western Cape’s water consistently meets stringent national and international standards under South Africa’s Blue Drop certification programme,” he said.

Bryant added that the move to eliminate plastic water bottles in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament highlights growing public health concerns.

He said that peer-reviewed South African research detected between 5 and 25 microplastic particles per litre across all sampled commercial bottled water brands.

“Ending the procurement of single-use bottles directly reduces landfill waste and prevents plastic pollution from entering Cape Town’s stormwater systems,” he said.

“In addition, the shift reduces parliament’s cost burden on taxpayers, no longer having to pay for MPs’ bottled water.”

“By adopting this motion without objection, the Western Cape Parliament is demonstrating clear leadership in environmental stewardship.”

“Our municipal tap water is among the safest in the world, making disposable plastic bottles an unnecessary health and environmental burden.”

Bryant encouraged municipalities, public entities, and private sector bodies across South Africa to follow this example and eliminate single-use plastics.