No more bottled water: Kirribilli School flaunts first-rate new drinking facility
Affordability and sustainability were prioritised in a recent collaboration between The CIVIQ team and Loreto Kirribilli School, where students now have a constant fresh water supply in-house.
The student sustainability committee hatched a plan to reduce plastic waste by ending plastic water bottles sales at school. They just needed a safe, cost-effective water solution to fill the void and that’s where CIVIQ came in.
The school contacted CIVIQ to find out which drinking fountain stations would suit its varying campus locations. The school also asked for installations that could withstand whatever weather its Sydney North Shore location might throw at them.
CIVIQ recommended and quoted for the Aquafil Pulse Senior 1400BF and the Hydrobank, which are ideal for any busy school setting.
Of course, Loreto Kirribilli School’s aim if for students to to fill up their own bottles with water throughout the school day. Loreto Kirribilli was established at Milsons Point in 1901 and is one of seven Loreto schools in Australia, with over 1200 students from Kindergarten to Year 12. That’s a lot of thirsty kids needing water refills!
The Aquafil Pulse is vandal resistant, important for busy schools with open outdoor areas, has internal drainage and is therefore suitable for internal or external installation. It features two drinking water access points: one for the drinking fountain and one for the bottle refill station. It comes with an optional wheelchair accessible basin and has customisable robust signage panels, which allow for exterior artwork.
Notably, Loreto Kirribilli applied for the Bin Trim Rebate grant through the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The aim of this rebate is to increase workplace recycling. It is part of the NSW ‘Waste Less, Recycle More’ program, which encourages businesses to recycle more and create less waste. Businesses are able to apply for rebates covering up to 50% of the cost of small-scale, on-site recycling equipment.
Through the Bin Trim Rebate grant, the school was able to take advantage of the earlier quote and purchased the products at the beginning of 2018. The water stations were then installed in March and July 2018. Most were placed in high traffic areas; the Aquafil Pulse was installed in the bathroom in the Chapel and Hydrobank water stations were installed outside the canteen and the science block. More drinking stations may be installed in the future, as some areas of the school will be undergoing redevelopment in the future.
The Hydrobank water stations feature numerous water access points and are equipped with a triple nozzle feature, consisting of three anti-bacterial bottle refill points and three drinking fountains. The station has an optional inbuilt filtering and refrigeration mechanism and includes a choice of 9 different end-panel colours, giving the school the opportunity to colour match with the school colours and logo.
Loreto Kirribilli Property Manager, Richard Schilling added: “Both Hydrobank stations have been placed in high traffic walkways, giving easy access for students to refresh on the go.”
The chilled water stations are already well used and will help the students keep hydrated during the hotter months ahead, plastic and worry-free!
For more information on the Bin Trim Rebate and how to apply click here