Major Australian university bans bottled water

Posted: 24.01.11 | Created by: Do Something

The University of Canberra is banning bottled water across its entire campus. It is the first Australian University to do so and it's the biggest ban of its kind to date.

Initiated by students and assisted by the action group Do Something!, the ban will be phased in across all cafes, restaurants, retail outlets, vending machines and University run events. The ban will stop the sale of 140,000 bottles of water every year.

Sales of bottled water will totally cease by World Water Day on 22 March 2011.

As a result of the ban, the University's 13,000 students and staff will save money and the environment. They'll also have access to a wider choice of drinking water facilities.

Students will be able to drink FREE water from the same SFA water bubblers that were installed in Bundanoon NSW. These bubblers have been installed around the campus.

The University will also be the first organisation in Australia to install the new‘WaterVend’ machine. This hi-tech vending unit dispenses filtered and‘flash-chilled‘ still and sparkling water into the customer's own refillable bottle. This move gives students a far cheaper chilled water alternative to bottled water.

“The WaterVend machines provide a far cheaper mains water alternative to bottled water in campus outlets,” said Jon Dee, the Founder of Do Something!. “Instead of paying $2.50 to $3 for bottled water, the students will only have to pay $1 for a chilled water refill. With sparkling water, instead of paying $3.50, they will only have to pay $1.50.”

Campus retailers will also be selling cheap locally made refillable plastic bottles as well as the well known SIGG aluminium bottles - the biggest selling refillable bottles in the world. The refillable bottle sales and the proceeds from the WaterVend refills will give retailers an alternative income to the single-use bottled water that is being banned.

"By supplying free water and cheap chilled water, the University will be helping students to break a bottled water habit that's costing Australians half a billion dollars a year." said Dee who helped to co-organise the initiative.

“The University of Canberra has created a wonderful role model here - our GoTap.com.au <http://GoTap.com.au> campaign will be assisting other Universities who want to create a similar ban.”

University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker said the decision was an important part of creating a sustainable campus.

“Tap water has a significantly lower environmental impact than bottled water. Only 43 percent of plastic bottles are recycled. We have plentiful supplies of fresh, healthy, free drinking water on campus, so there is no need for our students or staff to buy bottled water and contribute to the environmental damage it causes.”

Professor Parker said “I congratulate our students for taking the lead on this initiative and I thank Do Something! and the ACT Government for their assistance. I applaud campus businesses, including our Students’ Association, for supporting the decision to put the health of our environment first.”

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Major Australian university bans bottled water