South Western Railway has installed ape2o water machines at Vauxhall and Richmond stations in a bid to reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles.

The installation of the water machines is part of an ongoing eco-friendly partnership between South Western Railway (SWR) and ape2o and will also see a further water machine put in place at Wimbledon station in the near future. 

ape2o’s aim is to offer pure water whilst out and about without the need for plastic bottles.

Customers can refill their own containers for as little as 25p for half a litre with 10% of sales donated to marine and freshwater conservation and cleanups.

ape2o Water undertakes three-stage, advanced filtration with ultra-violet light which cleans and sterilises, removing any impurities right down to a molecular level.

The vending machines dispense hygienically as people cannot touch the water source. The water is chilled and customers can also choose to fill up their own water containers or buy a stainless steel plastic-free ape20 bottle.

The stations chosen on the SWR network are used by 80 thousand passengers when combined each day. It is hoped that this huge footfall will support ape2o on their quest to reduce the effects of plastic waste on our oceans and marine life.

A massive 7.7 billion plastic water bottles are purchased each year in the UK with a shocking 80% ending up in landfill or our oceans, which will damage the environment for the generations ahead. 

SWR’s Hampton Court station was the pilot for the ultra-filtered ape2o water vending machines and proved to be very successful, and has encouraged the partnership to install the machines at Vauxhall, Richmond and Wimbledon.

Currently, plans are underway to introduce further machines across London and also other cities throughout the UK, including other stations on the SWR network.

Amy Dickinson, SWR’s Head of Sustainability said, “At SWR we’re committed to supporting the Less Plastic Pledge through reducing and recycling waste and providing solutions to our customers that help them make sustainable choices. Working alongside companies like ape2o helps to encourage all of us to think more sustainably for the future of our planet.”

ape2o Founder, Anthony Newman, said: “We’ve already saved more than 150-thousand plastic bottles from ending up in oceans and landfills with our current machines. Our partnership with SWR will now help us to reach millions more passengers, showing them how ditching the plastic can be a force for good. We bring the same trusted benefits as bottled water such as convenience, purity, and hydration, but without the plastic and at a fraction of the cost. It’s time to go ape2o!”