Single-use bottled water will be phased out by May 2019, according to McGill.
The move aims to raise awareness about bottled water’s negative social and environmental impacts.
McGill’s announcement follows similar environmental initiatives on other campuses — many Canadian universities, including both Queen’s University and the University of Toronto, have committed to becoming water-bottle-free.
According to Greenpeace, 10 per cent of all the plastic produced ends up in the oceans each year.
Ninety per cent of the cost of a water bottle is the packaging, shipping, and marketing, rather than the actual product.
Given Western’s commitment to sustainability and waste reduction, phasing out plastic water bottles would be a good idea for our campus.
Plastic is a significant environmental hazard, and water fountains paired with reusable bottles is a good alternative.
There are many water fountains on campus, and most have been retrofitted to include hands-free bottle filling stations.
Western could also do things to ease the transition; for example, increasing the number of water fountains on campus or selling reusable water bottles for a reduced price.
With students becoming increasingly environmentally conscientious, reusable water bottles are now a common sight around campus.