From tomorrow, Bundanoon will become the first town in Australia, and possibly the world, to go bottled water free.

Instead of commercially bottled water, businesses will offer thirsty customers reusable Bundy-On-Tap water bottles that can be filled with free chilled, filtered water from the shops or from four hi-tech water stations in the main street.

School children can fill up their bottles free of charge from the filtered water station in the Bundanoon primary school.

Bundanoon Supermarket owner Grant McIntosh sold his last commercial water bottle on Wednesday and by Thursday morning had already sold 25 Bundy-On-Tap bottles and ordered a further 150.

Mr McIntosh said customers were snapping up the Bundanoon blue Bundy-On-Tap bottles as souvenirs as well as buying them filled.

“The response has been very good,” he said.

“The public has been very supportive so far.”

Mr McIntosh said like all participating businesses, he was a little uncertain about Bundy-On-Tap at the start, but feedback had been positive.

“I’m sure that we will have some people put out. Five per cent of people don’t like change, but the rest have been fine,” he said.

Although the sale of Bundy-On-Tap bottles won’t compensate for his loss of income from commercially bottled water, Mr McIntosh said he was happy to make the change for the sake of the community and the environment.

“Hopefully, it will all even out,” he said.

“With the official launch, there will be higher interest in the town and hopefully it will substantiate what we are doing.

“From what I can see, it’s full steam ahead.”

Bundy-On-Tap spokesman Huw Kingston said it was extremely heartening that the town had become an international role model for grassroots action.

“As politicians grapple with the issue of climate change, we should never forget that each and every one of us can make a real difference at the very local level,” he said.

“Here in Bundanoon, our aim is to show the Australian and global community, that we no longer have to pay the financial and environmental cost of bottled water.”

Action group Do Something organised for the water stations and filters to be donated by Street Furniture Australia and Culligan Water. Camelbak has donated 2000 bottles and the NSW Government through its Community Economic Development Program has assisted with funding for a “buy local” campaign.

Do Something Jon Dee said residents and visitors would save money and always have access to great drinking water, without the environmental price of bottled water.

“What’s also great is that the retailers will continue to make money by selling refillable bottles,” he said.

The filtered water stations in the main street and at Bundanoon Public School will be turned on at the tomorrow’s launch, starting at 10am at the Bundanoon Memorial Hall.