Jul 09, 2009 - 09:45 AM

By Reka Szekely

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AJAX -- Thirsty Ajax residents will soon have to lug a mug or another type of reusable container to recreation centres as the Town gives bottled water the boot.

This includes the Town's community centres, arenas, parks such as Rotary Park, Sportsplex and other public Town events.

"As of September of 2009, we'll no longer be selling bottled water at Town-run concessions," said Rob Braid, area manager, facilities for Ajax.

The goal is to completely phase out the sale of bottled water by 2011. The extended timeline is due to the Town having to renegotiate the contracts for its vending machines. As well, some of the Town's concession stands are run by contractors. In 2010, Town special events will no longer have bottle water for sale.

Originally, Ajax officials contemplated creating a bottled water-free zone, but backed off because the option was too limiting. Residents will still be able to bring their bottles from home.

"We're not the bottled water police here," said Mr. Braid. "We just want public attention to the issue of plastics in the waste stream and anything we can do to limit that is a positive impact on the environment."

For convenience, some of the Town's fountains will be retrofitted with a bottle-fill function.

Reusable bottles will be available for purchase. Mr. Braid said he's not sure of the price, but the Town will sell them at cost.

"We'll provide ample bottle-filling opportunities."â?¨ There's also a public education campaign called Tap into it! which will inform the public about the changes. It was kicked off during Ajax's Canada Day celebrations when many residents received free reusable bottles from the Town.

Mr. Braid said Ajax is not alone; almost 50 municipalities across Canada have imposed restrictions on bottled water. Both the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Canadian Federation of Municipalities support encouraging the use of tap water in facilities.

"They both issued recommendations or resolutions to encourage stewardship of tap water as a valuable resource," he said.

Most residents said they didn't think booting bottled water from town facilities would affect them.

"I guess it's good for the environment," said Robert Ferreira during a recent visit to the Ajax Community Centre, adding he doesn't usually buy bottles at the ACC. "We buy them at the grocery store and we usually bring them."

Joy Villa, a mom of three, said she also buys water in bulk for the kids when she buys it at all.

"We try to let them use the reusable containers as much as possible."

But Stephanie McElheran said she'd rather see kids choosing water from vending machines than anything else.

"It would be better if they sold water instead of pop," she said. "Get rid of that before you get rid of the water."

The Town has no plans to remove pop or beverages other than water from its facilities.