Bring your own bottle

Valerie Kuehne, vice-president external relations and Mark Mebs, district manager of Waste Management Vancouver Island, test out the new WaterFillz® water bottle refilling unit. The result of the university’s newest strategic alliance, the portable unit has been brought to campus by the offices of corporate relations and campus planning and sustainability in an effort to reduce the number of plastic water bottles on campus.

“The University of Victoria is thrilled to partner with Waste Management in our campus-wide effort to implement excellent sustainability practices,” says Kuehne. “The addition of the Waterfillz machine, through a generous sponsorship from Waste Management, will allow us to reduce the bottled water consumption throughout the institution when events attracting large numbers are being executed. Together with the campus planning initiatives of increased water fountains in buildings, the Waterfillz machine is helping the university set new standards of sustainability practices.”

“The Waterfillz machine is an important component of our campus sustainability initiative to encourage students and staff to carry reusable water bottles with them to class, work and events,” says Rita Fromholt, sustainability coordinator. “We are also retrofitting over 50 water fountains in buildings across campus to enable easy filling of reusable water bottles. CRD tap water is free, healthy and tastes great!”

“The University of Victoria is among Waste Management’s premier university partners because of the school’s leadership in waste reduction,” says Mebs. “With the Zero Waste Waterfillz station, this partnership will dramatically reduce water bottle use on campus every year.”