Fitzroy Falls General Store owner and Wingecarribee Mayor Duncan Gair does not plan to follow the lead of Bundanoon businesses and remove bottled still water from his shelves.

Cr Gair said while he “took his hat off” to Bundanoon businesses that were willing to bear a loss of income from bottled water sales, a similar move for Fitzroy Falls was “not on my radar”.

“My single biggest selling income from beverage after Coca Cola is water,” Cr Gair said.

“It would cost [me] thousands to implement that style of proposal.”

Cr Gair said the businesses and their customers should be free to choose whether they sell and buy bottled water.

“I don’t think there should be any pressure on businesses to do it [boycott bottled water],” he said.

“If they want to do it, all well and good, but it could be a major loss of income for quite a few businesses if it was implemented [shire-wide],” he said.

Cr Gair said Council would consider the call from “Bundy on Tap” to ban bottled still water from council functions and premises, taking into account issues such as health, hygiene and the wishes of staff.

“I think the idea is good, but we have to look whether it will be practical and how do you do it,” he said.

Cr Gair said council workers were already issued with refillable water bottles.

“Bundy On Tap” co-ordinator Huw Kingston has been invited to address Council.