St. Andrews University Says Goodbye to Plastic Bottles

St. Andrews University Says Goodbye to Plastic Bottles

A ground-breaking recycling initiative at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland is set to help remove over 40,000 plastic bottles from the local community.

Ending the reliance on plastic bottles

The university has installed a glass bottling system to provide water for the on-campus catering services, and it’s hoped that it will do away with the reliance on water in single-use plastic bottles.

The installation of the BRITA Vivreau’s Table Water Bottling Systems dispenser will allow the university to bottle unlimited amounts of filtered still and sparkling water for staff and students to enjoy. As well as eliminating the need to buy expensive and bad for the environment water in plastic bottles, the bottling system also eliminates the need to transport and store bottled water.

Partnership with Brita

The University is working in partnership with BRITA, the world’s leading water filter and dispenser company. BRITA have installed self-service still and sparkling water dispensers at three cafes on the campus. The glass bottling system is expected to remove the need for 19,000 plastic bottles and the dispenser is expected to save an extra 21,000 bottles.

The University’s catering operations assistant manager said that sustainability is a big part of its new strategic plan. She added that St. Andrews strives to work with businesses whose principles and commitment to protecting the environment and operating sustainably align with its own.

Working towards a greener future

The partnership with BRITA is the first of a raft of green initiatives that the university will be putting in place to achieve their aims for a more sustainable future. The eliminate of plastic bottles is the first step in creating a greener future for staff, students, and the wider community.

St. Andrews already has a long-term goal to send zero waste to landfill and is currently installing a composter on site. It’s also begun replacing single-use items with recyclable or compostable alternatives.