Use bottle re-fill stations or tap water rather than bought or delivered water.
Welcome to Week 32 of 50 Ways to Reduce Your Waste Line. Last week, we talked about making your own lunches and snacks. This week, we ask you to use bottle-refill stations rather than purchasing “disposable” or delivered water. If there is not a station near where you are, feel free to use the tap water nearby. The drinking water systems in Ontario (and North America) have high safety standards for public health. Our local municipalities perform regular tests on our drinking water to assure high water quality. The bottle-refill stations further filter the drinking water on campus and provide it at a cold temperature.
One Thing You Can Do:
Many of us are aware of the negative effects that disposable bottles have on the environment, but did you know that they can be bad for our health as well? A recent report conducted by the State University of New York found that many major bottled water brands contain tiny plastic particles inside their water.
Using a reusable water bottle is a great way to avoid this. Carry around your own water bottle so that you can re-fill your bottle when it gets empty; we have awesome filling stations around each campus to make this nice and easy. It is free! Consider having a bottle that you keep at Sheridan or in your “go-bag” so that you are never without! Click here to learn more about Sheridan’s bottle refill stations and the environmental impacts of plastic bottles.
Additional Information:
The graph below shows a comparison of the environmental impacts of tap water – almost zero – compared to bottled water – maxed out – which is quite a drastic difference. Read the full report from the Swiss Gas and Water Association here!
