At London Water Delivery, our large water bottles are designed to be used again and again. Reusing bottles helps us reduce unnecessary plastic waste and is an important part of making our bottled water delivery service more sustainable.
Most of our customers already take great care of their bottles, and we really appreciate it. However, we occasionally receive bottles that have been stored in unsuitable conditions and returned heavily soiled or contaminated.
Here’s why the condition of your empty bottles matters – and how you can help us keep them in circulation for longer.
What Happens to Your Empty Water Bottles?
When we deliver your water, we collect your empty reusable bottles and return them to our supplier.
There, the bottles go through a professional cleaning and sanitisation process before being refilled and prepared to start their next journey.
This system means the same bottle can be reused rather than replaced after a single use – but only while it remains in a condition suitable for reuse.
Why Does Bottle Storage Matter?
We occasionally collect bottles that have been left outside, in gardens or on construction sites and have become covered in cement, heavy dirt, rust, cobwebs or other contamination.
The professional cleaning and sanitisation process is designed for bottles that have been normally used and appropriately stored. When the outside of a bottle is excessively dirty, it may require additional cleaning before it can be returned to our supplier.
In more severe cases, the bottle may no longer be suitable for reuse at all.
That creates additional cleaning costs and can result in a perfectly reusable bottle being taken out of circulation unnecessarily.
How Should You Store Your Bottles?
A few simple steps can make a big difference.
Please keep both full and empty bottles:
- In a clean, dry and sheltered location
- Away from direct sunlight and excessive heat
- Away from cement, paint, chemicals and other building materials
- Away from soil, standing water and other sources of contamination
- Reasonably clean while waiting for your next delivery and collection
You don’t need to worry about normal signs of use. We simply ask that bottles are protected from excessive dirt, contamination and damage.
What If a Bottle Becomes Heavily Soiled?
We understand that accidents happen – particularly on busy construction sites, in warehouses and other working environments.
If one of your bottles becomes heavily soiled, you have a few options:
- Clean it before returning it.
You can keep the empty bottle, clean the outside and return it to us with a future delivery. - Ask us to collect it for additional cleaning.
We can still collect the bottle, but if additional cleaning is required before it can enter the standard cleaning and sanitisation process, an additional cleaning charge may apply. - If the bottle can no longer be reused.
If contamination or damage means the bottle is no longer suitable for reuse, we can collect and dispose of it appropriately, but the bottle deposit will not be refunded.
A Small Action That Helps Us Reduce Waste
Our reusable bottle system works best when everyone plays a small part.
We deliver the bottles, collect the empties and make sure they are returned for professional cleaning, sanitisation and refilling. By storing them carefully between deliveries, you help us extend the life of each bottle and prevent unnecessary waste.
Thank you to all our customers who already look after their bottles – and thank you for helping us keep them going around for as long as possible. ♻️
Need more information about bottle returns or your bottle deposit?
Please get in touch with the London Water Delivery team and we’ll be happy to help.
