To combat pollution, one of many sustainability issues Venice has to face when dealing with tourism, the city is encouraging tourists to drink from water fountains instead of using plastic bottles. While not many visitors may be aware, the city’s tap water is perfectly safe to drink. It is estimated that tourism is responsible for 28% to 40% of waste production depending on the season, in a city with 50,000 residents and millions of tourists every year.

A main source of pollution is discarded plastic bottles. This is why the local authorities have decided to promote the use of reusable water bottles by encouraging people not buy multiple single use plastic bottles and refill instead at one of the 126 water fountains easily found around town. There’s one around every 100 meters, says Alberto Chinellato, a traffic manager for the city council.