Instead of paying for a delivery, many households and small businesses simply carry an empty bottle to a refill point and bring it back full. A water dispenser bottle refill is cheaper per litre than most packaged water, and the shop is often round the corner. Some points refill your own bottle, others swap it for a full one on the spot. Send one request with your suburb and number of bottles, and local refill shops and suppliers quote you directly. It is free and there is no obligation.
Refill, swap or buy a new bottle
There are three common ways to get a full bottle:
- Refill your own: you bring a clean empty, it is rinsed, filled and capped. Cheapest, but the bottle must be in good condition.
- Swap and go: you hand over an empty and take a full, sealed bottle. Faster and the supplier controls bottle hygiene.
- Buy a new bottle: a first fill with a bottle and cap, useful when you are starting a dispenser. See water dispensers.
If you want the bottles brought to you instead, see bottled water delivery.
What a refill costs
Prices vary by shop and area, but refill points commonly charge about R1 a litre to refill your own container at many refill points. That works out at roughly R19 for an 18.9 litre bottle, and some shops charge a flat price per bottle that is a little different. Swap-and-go is usually priced higher because you are paying for the bottle and its cleaning too. Ask whether prices drop when you take five or ten bottles, or if there is a loyalty card.
Checking the water and the bottle
A good refill shop treats the water, rinses and sanitises bottles and caps, and fills in a clean area. Ask what treatment the water goes through, such as sediment, carbon, RO or UV, and how often the filters are changed. Look at the nozzle and the bottle racks. They should look clean and dry. Bottle quality matters at home too: a cracked, scratched or yellowed bottle holds bacteria. Replace it, and wash your own bottle weekly with mild soap and a brush, rinsing well. Cap it when it is empty.
Comparing refill quotes
Compare the price per bottle, any bottle deposit on swaps, opening hours and how far you must carry a 19 kg bottle. Check whether the shop will load the car for you. Some refill points also deliver within a few kilometres for a fee. Ask for the water treatment details in writing if you are buying for a clinic, school or crèche. If you refill often, check whether a filter at home would let you fill bottles from your own tap instead.
What to include in your request
- Bottles you use a week
- Refill your own or swap-and-go
- Whether your bottles are in good condition
- Whether you need local delivery too
- The suburb, town or business park
18.9 Litre Bottle Refills for different sites
- Households: a boot load of empties filled at the corner refill shop on a weekend errand
- Offices and business parks: a staff member collecting a few bottles each week, or a swap-and-go arrangement
- Schools, crèches and colleges: bottles refilled in bulk before term and topped up as the sports season starts
- Clinics, practices and care homes: swap-and-go sealed bottles for waiting rooms, with the shop's treatment details on file
- Lodges, hotels, restaurants and events: full bottles collected by the lodge or guesthouse before a busy weekend
- Factories, mines and building sites: a regular run to a refill station for canteens, workshops and smaller depots
- Shops, gyms and refill stations: a cheap way for a shop, gym or salon to keep its dispenser full
- Farms, smallholdings and villages: bottles filled in town and carried home where the borehole water is too salty or hard
Frequently asked questions
How much does an 18.9 litre bottle refill cost?
Can I refill any 18.9 litre bottle?
Is refill shop water safe to drink?
Do you run refill shops?
18.9 Litre Bottle Refills by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg