Free refills of water bottles should be available across Glasgow to cut down on plastic waste, according to a city councillor.

Glasgow uses millions of plastic bottles every year and many end up in the sea or littering streets if they are not recycled.

Martha Wardrop, Green councillor is calling for the council to phase out single use plastic bottles and cups in all council buildings and wants it to promote refill schemes which encourage the use of re-usable bottles.

Ms Wardrop wants to encourage pubs and cafes to provide free drinking water to not only customers but non-customers too.

In her motion, she said: “single-use plastic bottles are expensive to produce, use up valuable natural resources to make and transport and create mountains of waste.”

She added there is a “need to help turn the harmful tide of plastic waste and litter from single-use plastic bottles, which is damaging the marine environment and blighting our streets.”

Ms Wardrop wants the city to sign up to Refill, an initiative already sunning in several English towns and cities to encourage the setting up of refill points to offer free water to the public.

In Bristol, a city with a similar population to Glasgow the initiative has more than 200 refill points across the city centre set up in the last three years.

Refill Bristol estimate if every person in the city refilled a bottle once a week instead of buying a single-use plastic bottle, the city would reduce its plastic bottle consumption by 22.3 million a year.

The scheme encourages hospitality trade and public buildings as well as places like banks and post offices to offer free refills and promote the initiative with a sticker in the window.

Ms Wardrop has four aims she wants the council to sign up to

To increase awareness about public rights to drinking water.

To encourage the hospitality industry to provide free drinking water to customers and non-customers.

To work with transport providers to improve access to free drinking water.

To sign up to Refill, a free tap water initiative, which aims to make refilling of water bottles convenient and rewarding.

Her motion is due to be considered by the full council later this week.