A sustainable office is one that stops waste before it starts, and drinking water is one of the easiest places to begin. Most British workplaces still buy water in plastic, whether that is crates of single-use bottles in the meeting room fridge or 19-litre cooler bottles delivered by van every week. This guide explains where that plastic comes from, how the 2025 workplace recycling rules and the coming deposit return scheme affect you, and the practical steps that move a UK office to plastic-free water for good.
TL;DR
- UK households alone use around 7.7 billion plastic water bottles a year, according to RECOUP figures cited by a House of Commons committee. Workplaces add to that.
- Since 31 March 2025, workplaces in England must separate dry recyclables, food waste and general waste. Firms with fewer than 10 full-time staff have until 31 March 2027.
- The deposit return scheme starts in October 2027 for drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres. It will not cover 19-litre cooler bottles.
- Mains-fed dispensers and taps remove the bottle, the delivery van and the storage space, and give staff chilled, sparkling or boiling water on demand.
- Measure your starting point, choose the right dispenser for each area, keep it serviced, and give people a reason to refill.
Planning a bottle-free office? Talk to Our Team about the right setup for your building.
In this article
- Why water is the quickest win for a sustainable office
- Where office plastic really comes from
- The rules that now apply to UK workplaces
- Bottled coolers versus mains-fed water
- Choosing water for each part of the building
- A five-step plan to go bottle-free
- Keeping it working: hygiene and servicing
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
Why water is the quickest win for a sustainable office
Sustainability plans often start with big projects: solar panels, new heating, a fleet change. They take budget, sign-off and time. Drinking water is different. Almost everyone in the building uses it every day, the plastic is visible, and the change can be made in a single installation visit.
The scale is real. In its 2017 report on disposable packaging, the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee cited RECOUP figures showing UK households use around 13 billion plastic bottles a year, of which 7.7 billion are plastic water bottles. The committee put the average person's use at about 150 plastic water bottles a year. Those are household figures, so office use comes on top.
Plastic packaging matters globally too. The OECD's Global Plastics Outlook found that packaging makes up around 40% of plastic waste. Every bottle an office stops buying is a bottle that never has to be collected, sorted, recycled or sent for disposal.
There is a carbon angle as well. The UK has a legal target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, set by the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019. Many firms now report their own emissions to clients and tenders. Removing a weekly bottle delivery cuts transport, packaging and storage from the supply chain in one move.
Where office plastic really comes from
Before you change anything, it helps to know what you are dealing with. In most UK offices, water-related plastic comes from four places:
- Single-use bottles. Bought for meeting rooms, visitors, events and the staff fridge. Often the biggest count, and the easiest to see in the bins.
- 19-litre cooler bottles. Heavy, returnable bottles delivered and collected on a rota. They are reused, but each one still needs washing, refilling, transport and eventual replacement, plus cups at the cooler.
- Disposable cups. Plastic or paper cups beside coolers and machines add up quickly when every visit uses a fresh one.
- Packaging around the supply. Shrink-wrap on bottle packs, delivery crates and caps.
Walk the building for a week. Count bottles bought, cooler bottles delivered and cups used. That baseline turns a vague goal into a number you can cut and report.
The rules that now apply to UK workplaces
Two pieces of policy make this a good moment to act.
Simpler Recycling. From 31 March 2025, workplaces in England must separate their waste for collection into dry recyclables (plastic, metal, glass, paper and card), food waste and residual waste, according to GOV.UK guidance on workplace recycling. Micro-firms with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees have until 31 March 2027. Fewer bottles means less to separate, store and pay to have collected.
The deposit return scheme. The UK, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments have confirmed a deposit return scheme for drinks containers starting in October 2027. It covers PET plastic, steel and aluminium containers from 150ml to 3 litres. Single-use bottled water will carry a deposit. Large 19-litre cooler bottles fall outside that size range, so the scheme will not change how they are handled.
Neither rule bans bottled water. Both make single-use packaging more visible and more of an admin task, which strengthens the case for removing it at the source.
Bottled coolers versus mains-fed water
A bottled cooler sits on a 19-litre bottle that is delivered full and collected empty. A mains-fed (also called plumbed-in or point-of-use) dispenser connects to the building's cold water supply, filters it on the spot and chills, heats or carbonates it as needed.
| 19-litre bottled cooler | Mains-fed dispenser or tap | |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic | Large bottles, caps and often cups | No bottles; staff use their own refillables |
| Deliveries | Regular van visits and collections | None for water |
| Storage | Space for full and empty bottles | None |
| Handling | Lifting heavy bottles onto the cooler | No lifting |
| Supply | Can run out between deliveries | Continuous while the mains is on |
| Upkeep | Cooler sanitising and bottle changes | Filter changes and planned servicing |
For a fuller side-by-side, see our mains-fed water cooler vs bottled comparison. Running costs depend on your usage, supplier and contract, so compare your own invoices rather than relying on a rule of thumb.
Mains-fed equipment must be installed to the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, which protect the public supply from backflow and contamination. Use fittings and installers that work to those rules.
Choosing water for each part of the building
One dispenser rarely suits every space. Think about who uses each area and what they drink.
Open-plan floors and break-out areas. A free-standing or counter-top dispenser with chilled still and sparkling water encourages refills and replaces bottle packs. The BRITA Top Pro offers chilled still, sparkling, semi-sparkling and ambient water from one mains-fed unit.
Kitchens and tea points. A boiling and chilled filtered tap replaces the kettle and the fridge bottle in one fitting. The RoyalFlow BCS Smart Tap gives instant boiling, chilled and sparkling filtered water from one touch-button tap.
Reception and meeting rooms. A compact unit or a filtered tap with glass carafes removes the habit of putting single-use bottles on the table.
High-traffic sites. Gyms, schools and factories may need a bottle filler point so people can top up quickly without queuing.
If you want help matching units to floors and headcount, our office water dispensers buyer's guide walks through the options, and you can browse our range of mains-fed office water dispensers.
Ready to price a bottle-free setup? Request a Quote and tell us your headcount and floor layout.
A five-step plan to go bottle-free
A sustainable office change works best when it is planned, announced and measured. These five steps borrow from the familiar "refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot" approach, with refusal and reduction doing most of the work.
1. Measure the baseline
Use your purchase records and a one-week bin count to record bottles bought, cooler bottles delivered and cups used. Note how many deliveries you receive each month.
2. Refuse single-use bottles at the source
Stop ordering bottle packs for internal use. Update meeting and events guidance so hosts serve water in jugs or carafes. Tell catering suppliers about the change in writing.
3. Replace the supply
Install mains-fed dispensers or taps where people actually drink. Plan the plumbing route, drainage if needed, and power with your facilities team or landlord. Check any lease rules about alterations before work starts.
4. Make refilling easy and normal
Give every member of staff a reusable bottle, or ask them to bring their own. Put glasses and washable cups by each dispenser. Place units where people pass, not in a corner.
5. Report the result
After three months, repeat your count. Share the number of bottles and deliveries removed with staff and in your sustainability report. Visible results keep the habit going.
Our Plastic Free July guide for office water has more ideas for launching the change with your team.
Keeping it working: hygiene and servicing
A dispenser that is not looked after will lose the trust you have built. Filters need changing on schedule, drip trays and nozzles need cleaning, and units need periodic sanitising. Agree who does the daily wipe-down, and put the technical work on a planned service contract.
Sovereign Water installs and services mains-fed dispensers and taps across the UK, with filter changes and sanitising on a set schedule. See our maintenance plans for how planned servicing works.
Frequently asked questions
What makes an office sustainable?
A sustainable office cuts waste, energy use and emissions in its daily running, and measures the result. Water is a good first step because it is used by everyone, the plastic is easy to count, and the switch to mains-fed supply can be made in one visit.
Is mains-fed water safe to drink at work?
Mains-fed dispensers draw from the same public supply as your kitchen tap and filter it at the point of use. Safety depends on correct installation to the water fittings rules and regular servicing, including filter changes and sanitising.
Does the deposit return scheme cover water cooler bottles?
No. The scheme covers drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres, so 19-litre cooler bottles are outside it. Single-use bottled water in that size range will carry a deposit from October 2027.
Do small offices have to follow Simpler Recycling?
Yes, but later. Workplaces in England with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees have until 31 March 2027. Larger workplaces have had to separate their waste since 31 March 2025.
How do we get staff to use refillable bottles?
Make it easier than the old habit. Remove bottle packs, put dispensers where people already walk, supply bottles or glasses, and share the count of bottles saved.
Make your office bottle-free
Moving to mains-fed water is one of the fastest, most visible changes a sustainable office can make. Get in Touch and our team will help you plan the right dispensers, installation and servicing for your building.
Sources
- House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, Plastic bottles: Turning back the plastic tide, December 2017 (RECOUP figures).
- GOV.UK, Simpler Recycling: workplace recycling in England, checked October 2026.
- GOV.UK, Deposit return scheme for drinks containers: joint policy statement, checked October 2026.
- OECD, Global Plastics Outlook, 2022.
- legislation.gov.uk, The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
- legislation.gov.uk, The Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019.