Hong Kong, 19 June 2017: Water for Free is a mobile app that helps users to refill their water bottles while on the go by showing the locations of water dispensers throughout Hong Kong.  Since its launch in the summer of 2013, it has been widely popular among those who care about the environment. Thanks to the crowdsourcing of new locations, the Water for Free map now records more than 1100 water dispensers, up from 500 when we first started. Crowdsourcing has also raised awareness of the environmental problems caused by our abusive consumption of plastic bottled water. 4 years have gone by, it is time to launch Water for Free 2.0 in order to step up our fight against bottled water.

Water for Free 2.0 offers the following new functions:

• Photos: we are adding photo of each water dispenser so that you can locate them more easily
• Water temperature: do they offer cold/ hot/ room temperature water? We can tell you that.
• Notify us: newly discovered water dispensers? Spot mistakes in our database? Please let us know. You only need to press a few buttons and it is done!
• Where do you want water dispensers installed? Please speak up and we will fight for it together.
• Happy sharing: You can share info of any particular water dispenser via social media or messaging platform. Let’s meet your friend next to a water dispenser so that you won’t get thirsty while waiting.
• Pathfinder: suggest walking route for you to get to the nearest water dispenser.

​While we are trying our best to collect information and photo of each and every water dispensers marked on our map, we need help from members of the public. We are recruiting volunteers to help monitor all these water dispensers.  Please stay tuned!

In view of the fact that abusive consumption of bottled water always takes place during outdoor events, Water for Free launched its water dispenser rental service in last September, which provides temporarily installed water dispensers as an alternative to handing out hundreds, if not thousands of bottles of water. For example, Water for Free provided three water dispensers to Pink Dot HK 2016 at West Kowloon Cultural District.  During that one afternoon, over 3000 participants drank from these water dispensers.  Had it not for our water dispensers, these participants would have no choice but to be forced to consume bottled water.  In other words, Water for Free @ Pink Dot HK successfully displaced consumption of more than 3000 bottles of water.  We sincerely urge organizers of other outdoor or indoor events to arrange for water dispensers/ trucks instead of handing out bottled water.

In order to strengthen the coverage of water dispensers in Hong Kong, we now invite cafés, shops and organizations to join by providing water for free to those who BYOB. Such a kind offer can have a positive impact on your brand image, increase traffic to your venue and help protect the environment. A win win win!  As a token of our gratitude, we mark these cafes, shops and organizations with a special tag on our map.  In addition, we will continue to pressure MTR Corporation to install water dispensers in each and every station as soon as possible.  HKSAR government, being the major shareholder of MTR Corporation, should not shy away from its obligation to make this happen.

​According to the 2015 Waste Statistics issued by the EPD, Hong Kong produces 136 tons of PET plastic waste daily.  Each bottle weighs about 25 grams, this means that we throw away over 5 million PET bottles per day. So we are asking for your help, please SAY NO TO BOTTLED WATER and use a reusable beverage bottles instead.

To download Water for Free mobile app 2.0, please go to

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.computancy.apps.waterforfree

Iphone version: please click here

Video featuring Water for Free @Pink Dot HK2016 : https://www.facebook.com/poksuiwaterforfree/videos/1816158492006383/
Follow Water for Free on facebook：@撲水- water for free

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For media inquiry, please kindly contact:

彭凱恩 Rachel Pang E. waterforfreehk@gmail.com