Organisers of this year’s event are aiming to highlight the problems that waste plastic is creating, from clogging up the world’s oceans and killing sea life, to sitting in landfill for decades.

In recent months, the topic has increasingly made national news headlines and has been cited as a key issue facing the planet over the coming years.

A single use plastic bag charge was implemented in 2015, but to date no government initiative has been put in place to reduce the use of single use plastic bottles. This is despite the fact that a high percentage of these go straight to landfill after being used. A nationwide bottle deposit scheme has been mooted as a method of counteracting this.

According to Heatrae Sadia’s Ethan Thompson, however, more can be done to minimise plastic pollution. One of the best ways of achieving this is to install drinking water units in buildings such as schools, hospitals and offices to ensure a reliable, tasty supply of water for the people inside.

“Earth Day is a great opportunity to sit back and think about the negative impact all of this waste plastic is having on the world around us,” he explained.

“You only have to look at recent news stories to see that plastic bottles are starting to cause significant problems for the environment – and for consumers there’s really no way to get away from it.

“Much success has been witnessed already by applying a charge to single use plastic bags, but the best way to reduce the use of plastic bottles is to provide a reliable source of filtered drinking water that workers, students and visitors can access easily and use to refill their own bottles.

“This can be easily achieved through a plumbed in drinking water unit, such as Heatrae Sadia’s Superchill, which allows for a consistent supply of chilled water on demand.”