The BOE includes this regulation in Law 7/2022, of April 8, on waste prevention
It is a hot day and you are walking down the street, thirsty. You go into a bar, ask for a glass of water and without asking for money in return, they serve it to you from the tap, totally free. Sounds like a fantasy, right? Until now, the common thing was to have to order a bottle and pay for it the price that each establishment wanted to put on it. Although it is true that there were many places that offered a glass of water, this was not mandatory.
Now it no longer depends on the will of the establishment you enter, but is stipulated by law. The State Gazette has included this regulation in Law 7/2022, dated April 8. It is a standard based on the prevention of waste and contaminated soil for a circular economy. From now on you know that if you go into a place and they try to charge you for a little water, you can always show this article and request your drink: «In establishments in the hotel and restaurant sector, consumers must always be offered , clients or users of its services, the possibility of consuming non-bottled water free of charge and complementary to the offer of the same establishment”, details the law.
In addition, other measures related to water that it contemplates are aimed at single-use containers. In this way, it establishes that “public administrations will promote the consumption of drinking water in their premises and other public spaces, through the use of sources in conditions that guarantee hygiene and food safety or the use of reusable containers.”
In this sense, starting next year, all food stores with more than 400 square meters will have to allocate 20% of their area to offer products without packaging, including bulk sales or through reusable containers. In addition, non-reusable plastic will have a new tax to make it more difficult to use. This law is a step forward in the search for a more sustainable economy that reduces the huge amount of waste produced by the food chain and is committed to the environment.
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