MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE - STOP PLASTIC WASTE
Pentair and Hatenboer-Water partner on PlasticFree@Sea and hopes to signal an end to ocean-polluting, single-use plastic bottles.
It is estimated that ten million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans annually, with up to eight million pieces of plastic being added every single day!
One of the biggest culprits is the single-use plastic bottle which can last for 450 years in the marine environment, slowly fragmenting into smaller and smaller pieces, which eventually end up microscopic, but never truly disperse.
Not only do plastic bottles use up natural resources to manufacture, they also create untold harm to sea-life with an estimated 100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million sea birds killed by plastic pollution every year.
PlasticFree@Sea, led by marine water treatment experts Hatenboer-Water, is a concept designed to combat this issue, and Pentair is helping to make it happen.
With a global track record for well-engineered, durable products, Hatenboer-Water has been market-leading in water treatment since 1906. Well recognised in the maritime sector, it also services clients in the agriculture, horticulture and food production markets. As part of its mission to provide safe water on board, Hatenboer-Water decided to tackle plastic bottle waste at sea, head on.
PlasticFree@Sea – say goodbye to single-use plastic bottles
Often working in hot conditions, the crews of merchant ships rely on plenty of water to keep hydrated. However, with their confidence low in the quality of locally sourced water – either from the ship or ports – ship owners understandably rely on bottled water, despite the logistical headache and high cost. Sadly, all too many of those bottles end up overboard. PlasticFree@Sea is aiming to change that for good.
Working with Pentair Everpure Filtration, Hatenboer-Water has developed a unique on-board bottle filling station that guarantees safe, hygienic and chilled water to sailors and crew. It is hoped that through PlasticFree@Sea, a switch to reusable bottles may mean that single-use bottles on merchant ships could become a thing of the past.
How does it work?
At the front end of PlasticFree@Sea sits a high-end, hands-free, stainless steel bottle filling station, specially designed for the task by Elkay, one of the world’s leading brands in drinking fountains.
However, to gain crew trust in their drinking water, the output needs to be outstanding – even better than the best bottled variety it replaces. Only water that is purified, free of any contaminants and re-mineralised, will suffice. And the water needs to be safe – an outbreak of crew sickness at sea can be highly unpleasant and very costly.
To ensure the water is the optimum quality, Hatenboer-Water has turned to its long-trusted water treatment partner Pentair and has specified the ‘best in the business’: the Everpure MRS-225 CC Reverse Osmosis Unit.
When the water conditions are severe, Pentair RO systems get to work. An initial filtration neutralises taste and odour-causing contaminants. A reverse-osmosis phase then purifies the water removing dirt, particulates and dissolved minerals. This membrane-level filtering also provides a barrier to viruses and bacteria getting through. And at a final stage, a calcite filter brings back some essential minerals which slowly mix with the water for optimum health and maximum taste.
A key feature of Everpure MRS-225 CC is the volume of high-quality water it can dispense – up to 850 litres/day. And supply, installation and maintenance of Everpure is never an issue as, like Hatenboer-Water, Pentair has a global reach.
PlasticFree@Sea is a win-win
PlasticFree@Sea is already making great waves and has passed the taste test on many vessels. An innovative digital counter on the filling station gives the crew instant feedback on the number of plastic bottles they have saved by using it. And it really is a ‘win-win’, as reducing the number of single-use bottles fits in with many shippers’ CSR programmes while early adopters are already reporting considerable savings on the cost and logistics of carrying multiple pallets of bottled water aboard.
But above all PlasticFree@Sea is another leg on the environmental voyage we must all take to protect our oceans from plastic pollution. And that’s something we can all drink to!
