A “hydration station” providing free filtered drinking water has been installed on Front Street as part of an plan to reduce plastic waste.The station, which has been erected near the Hamilton Ferry Terminal is the first of six planned stations to be installed around the city as part of an initiative led by environmental charity Greenrock.Unveiling the station yesterday, Greenrock President Judith Landsberg said it is hoped the stations will encourage the public to adopt reusable water bottles rather than use disposable plastic bottles.“We are thrilled to introduce this new, environmentally friendly option for people in Bermuda to access clean drinking water while they are out and about free of charge,” Dr Landsberg said.“One of the things we try to do is make people reconsider their disposable lifestyle.”According to the charity, around 17 litres of imported bottled water are consumed every minute in Bermuda.“These bottles are shipped 700 miles and used once,” Dr Landsberg said. “If these bottles wash into the sea, which is fairly common, they can take 450 years to degrade. They float around and they cause pollution.”She also noted that chemicals in plastic bottles have been known to leak into the water, saying: “People think that they are making a healthy choice by drinking water bottles, but that’s not always the case.”A total of five other stations are expected to be installed throughout the city by the end of the week, located at the Queen Street entrance to Queen Elizabeth Park, at the Dundonald Street/ Victoria street entrance to Victoria Park, the Bus terminal, Cavendish parking lot and outside Liberty Theatre.Each station costs around $6,000, and are designed to withstand both storms and vandals.Should the project prove successful, Greenrock says it hopes to expand the initiative, installing hydration stations in St George’s, Dockyard, the LF Wade International Airport and along the railway trail.Tim Madeiros of Alternative Energy Systems, who are sponsoring the project, said: “As a renewable energy provider and a Bermudian, I am always looking for ways to be more eco-friendly and encourage other to do the same.“When I discovered the realities of our addiction to disposable bottled water and the harm it does to the environment, I knew I had to support this hydration station initiative”.The City of Hamilton is also helping with funds by providing the water and installing each station, while Bermuda Air Conditioning will maintain each station and replace filters.Donal Smith, Deputy Mayor of Hamilton said “This is the first of many things to come. It is not only great but needed and wanted.”Useful websites: www.greenrock.org, www.aes.bm, www.cityhall.bm.