"Refill Lëtzebuerg" submitted the petition calling for restaurants to provide tap water, returning to an age-old debate. The arguments for the matter are numerous, namely that the water quality in Luxembourg is excellent and it makes sense from an environmentally-friendly perspective. However, Horesca, the association grouping together the hotel and food industry, feels it has been pushed into the role of being the bad guy.
Tap water: Petition seeks to give access to tap water in Luxembourg's restaurantsHoresca secretary-general Francois Koepp pointed to the global issue of sustainability, claiming that the food industry is not the only one that requires improvement. He claimed the concern for tap water focuses on the environment, sustainability, and producing less waste, which are values the sector adheres by. Koepp even suggested that the sector is one of the most environmentally-friendly sectors of all of Luxembourg.
The ways in which restaurants in Luxembourg work in an environmentally-friendly way include bulk buying, using little plastic, and using glass bottles - including water bottles. However, Koepp maintains that the demand for access to tap water is non-existent, as customers have not raised the issue.
However, David Kieffer of Refill Lëtzebuerg directly disagreed with the sector's stance, citing the fact that more and more people have been wondering about the disparity between filling up your water bottles in town, but not been able to get a glass of tap water in restaurants. At the time of publishing, the petition was nearing the 4,500 threshold at 4,124.
Often, tap water offered in restaurants is referred to as free, but may be compensated in other ways, such as service charges.
Chahmerian/Jonsson: Why free tap water should be a givenKieffer also highlighted that the main purpose is not to incur losses for restaurants. He explained that he had spoken with restaurant owners who are concerned that they would be losing out. Kieffer acknowledged that tap water might not necessarily need to be free, but could be covered by overhead charges. After all, whilst a litre of tap water may cost about half a cent, the restaurant will have costs related to service and washing up.
Here, Kieffer saw a solution whereby restaurants can calculate their overhead costs, citing the example of Austria where the cost of tap water should only just about cover running costs.
Even if restaurants offer 'free' tap water, they can add a service charge. Koepp pointed to the Italian example, where they add a service charge but put a jug of water on each table. The charge should cover the costs incurred by serving free tap water.
Petition 1319 will remain on the Chamber of Deputies site until 30 August.
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