Bottle Refill Station Installation and Design Guidelines for Existing Buildings

Project Leads: Trish Ratto, Eric Ellisen, & Teri Mathers

Sponsor: Capital Projects

TGIF Grant: $27,000

Project Theme: Education & Behavior Change

Project Location

2011 Application Submission

Project Description: In 2006, bottled water comprised 39% of the approximately 2,156,000 individual plastic bottles sold on campus. This project worked to reduce that number by installing two campus bottle refill stations and creating “Building Design Guidelines for Installation of Bottle Refill Stations” to be used for future campus installations.

Goals: Reduce the purchase and disposal of single-use plastic drinking bottles and support the use of reusable water bottles by improving campus accessibility to tap water refill stations. Create “Building Design Guidelines for Installation of Bottle Refill Stations” that are based on a review of the California Plumbing Code, current building codes, ADA guidelines, and Construction Design Standards. Install a bottle refill station in Dwinelle Hall. Install a bottle refill station in MLK Jr. Student Union. Collaborate with the I Heart Tap Water Campaign to promote the locations of the two new bottle refill stations. Assist campus in reaching zero waste by 2020. Assist the UCB Nutrition and Physical Activity Work group’s goal to improve access to tap water for reusable water containers. Assist campus in reaching a goal of “minimizing the use of nonrenewable energy and material resources”, as outlined in the 2020 Long Range Development Plan. In their first year, we anticipate at least a 10% decrease in water bottle purchases due to the installation of the Bottle Refill Stations, which could account for almost 4500 fewer pounds of waste generated by campus.

Final Poster

Final Report

Accomplishments Summary