UC: Australia's first bottled water free uni

Sandy Rose

February 2011: The University of Canberra is the first university in Australia to go bottled water free. The move is the largest of its kind in the country and was initiated by students and assisted by action group Do Something!

New water bubblers and bottle refill stations have been installed on campus with funding from the ACT Chief Minister’s Department. Students and staff will also be offered a chilled water alternative to bottled water through Australia’s first WaterVend machines, which dispense filtered, ‘flash-chilled’ still, sparkling or flavoured tap water into the customer’s own refillable container.

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