In an effort to reduce waste within a commercial and institutional facility, many maintenance and engineering managers are taking the steps to become more green and energy efficient.
School districts across Oakland County, Mich, are doing their part to help increase access to clean water and decrease the amount of plastic waste.
As part of the Oakland County Water Bottle Filling Station Program, the county board allocated over $500,000 to use for the purchase and delivery of these stations in order to replace aging drinking fountains in school districts, according to an article in the Oakland Press.
620 water bottle filling stations, with water fountain attached, were purchased for $783 each totaling $485,460. Another 48 water bottle filling stations, without water fountain attached, were purchased for $497 each totaling $23,856.
The county will pay for the stations and delivery costs while the schools will be responsible for installation and maintenance.
Ken Gutman, superintendent of the Walled Lake Consolidated School District, estimates that it will cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 to install each station. The district is waiting on bids for exact costs.
In terms of cost to maintain, Gutman said each station has a filter that will need to be replaced two to three times per year at a cost of $50 each.
“We are appreciative of the opportunity provided by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners to replace many of our older drinking fountains with environmentally-friendly units that reduce the volume of plastic in the waste stream,” Gutman says.
This Quick Read was submitted by Ryan Berlin, managing editor of Facility Maintenance Decisions.
