Aldi should pull sale of giant pool to discourage water waste – Currie

Aldi needs to pull the sale of a metal framed pool which requires 70pc of an average household’s monthly water supply to fill or label it with a warning so that consumers are fully aware, Fine Gael Senator Emer Currie has said.

The Dubin West Senator criticised the discount retail giant for advertising two paddling pools of different sizes, the larger which can hold 7,199 litres of water, at a time when water conservation is high on the agenda.

Senator Currie said, “From Sunday, Aldi will be selling giant inflatable pools in their stores nationwide.

“According to Aldi’s website, the larger ‘Intex 12ft Metal Frame Pool’, which retails for €119.99 and is approximately 12 x 2.75ft, can hold 7,199 litres of water. The smaller ‘Intex Quick Up Pool 10 ft’ which sells for €39.99, can hold 3,858 litres of water.

“According to Citizens Information, the average amount of water used by a household in Ireland is 125,000 litres annually which works out at just over 10,400 litres per month.

“So Aldi is encouraging parents and householders to use almost three quarters of their monthly supply of water to fill a pool once to, as they say in their advertising, “cool off on hot summer days”.

Senator Currie continued, “Keeping children entertained at the moment is difficult, especially as many parents are exhausted from home-working, home-rearing and home-schooling. But advertising these pools to families when we have only just emerged from a hosepipe ban from good weather isn’t helpful.

“The nationwide hosepipe ban was put in place for several weeks in a bid to safeguard water supplies. When it was issued, 27 of Irish Water’s 900 drinking water schemes were in drought with another 50 at risk of going into drought.

“Water conservation and protection is something we want every household to be aware of, especially as more people work from home due to restrictions which have been in place since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Consequently, there are larger demands on domestic water use.

“It is irresponsible of Aldi to market these products as we enter into the final month of the Summer in the hope of a return to sunshine.

“Therefore, I would call on the retailer to do the right thing and reconsider selling these products at a time when the recovery of some of the country’s water supplies following dry conditions is extremely fragile or start to introduce signage with clear information about the impact on water supply so consumers can make an informed purchase decision,” Senator Currie concluded.