Australian town residents vote to ban sale of bottled water

RESIDENTS of a rural Australian town hoping to protect the earth and their wallets have voted to ban the sale of bottled water, the first community in the country – and possibly the world – to take such a drastic step in the growing backlash against the industry.

Residents of Bundanoon cheered after their near-unanimous approval of the measure at a town meeting on Wednesday.

It was the second blow to Australia’s beverage industry in one day – hours earlier, the New South Wales state premier banned all state departments and agencies from buying bottled water, calling it a waste of money and natural resources.