How do I reduce plastic and save water in Morocco?

Water is the issue I most wish travellers understood before arriving, because Morocco is a water-stressed country and the situation is worsening. Years of drought have left reservoirs low, some towns ration supply, and farming communities feel real strain. The long hot showers, the daily fresh towels, the swimming pools — none of it is free, and the cost lands on people who live here long after you've flown home. So I ask my travellers to treat water consciously: short showers, taps off while you brush, reusing towels rather than demanding new ones daily, and choosing accommodation that takes conservation seriously.

Plastic is the visible twin of the water problem. Morocco banned single-use plastic bags in 2016, which helped, but bottled water remains a flood — tourists alone get through staggering quantities of those little bottles, many of which end up in landfill or, worse, blowing across the landscape. I've stood on beautiful dunes dotted with windblown plastic and it's heartbreaking.

The fix is genuinely easy and saves you money: bring a good refillable bottle with a built-in filter or a UV purifier. With one of those you can refill from the tap almost anywhere and skip bottled water entirely, which is better for the country and your wallet. If you prefer not to filter, large refill stations beat buying endless small bottles. Pack a cloth shopping bag too, and a small set of reusable utensils if you eat street food often.

In the souk, a polite refusal works wonders. Vendors will instinctively reach for plastic to wrap your purchase; a smile and a gesture toward your own bag stops it. None of these habits are heroic — they're tiny — but multiplied across millions of visitors they're the difference between tourism that drains a fragile place and tourism that treads lightly. In a water-scarce country, conservation isn't an optional virtue; it's basic respect.