Home | Your Council | News and communications | July news | July news
July news
Greener gardening with a free water butt
Up to 15,000 gardeners will get a free rainwater butt thanks to a link-up between Southern Water and the council.
Instead of rainwater going down the drain, water butts collect it from the roof and store it, so it can be used for watering plants.
The aim of the giveaway is to help reduce the risk of drains and sewers being overwhelmed by unusually heavy rainstorms, leading to flooding.
And using rainwater in the garden means less demand on mains supplies.
To claim a free rainwater butt, residents can either fill in a form in the council's Flagship magazine, being delivered to homes this month, or go to www.portsmouth.savewater.co.uk and fill in an online order form. They can even get it installed for free.
Leader of the council Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: "We came to Southern Water with this idea and they generously agreed to give all these water butts away, with our help.
"It follows on from the council's free compost bin offer, which was a massive success, saving about £130,000 a year in waste collection and disposal costs.
"The water butt offer is a way to reduce the impact of rain storms on the city and to encourage greener gardening, with less tapwater used."
Andy Watson, Director of Asset for Southern Water, said: "We know that customers, and particularly gardeners, are keen to be water-efficient and we are delighted to be able to give 15,000 people in Portsmouth the opportunity to have a free water butt.
"In addition to this, harvesting rain during storms into water butts will divert some water away from our sewers."
The free offer closes on 31 August, or when all water butts have been claimed.
The offer is only open to Portsmouth residents, and is limited to one water butt per household.
Southern Water and the council regret that they cannot take applications by phone, email or letter, or on photocopied forms.
Date : 24 July 2008
