University of Limerick

Championing Hydration and Sustainability on Campus

The University of Limerick (UL) is one of Ireland’s leading universities, committed to fostering a healthy, sustainable campus environment for its students, staff, and wider community.

In 2013, the Irish Government launched Healthy Ireland — a national framework for improved health and wellbeing running through to 2025. UL embraced this framework wholeheartedly, placing environmental sustainability and healthy living at the heart of campus life. Environmental issues received the strongest support from the UL community, with reducing single-use plastics identified as the top priority.

Objectives

UL required a drinking water solution that would support their Healthy Ireland commitments — reducing plastic waste, promoting healthy hydration habits, and providing accessible, clean water facilities across a busy university campus.

WHAT THEY NEEDED:

Reduce single-use plastic by providing campus-wide refill points
Phase out single-use plastic water bottles across campus
Provide accessible, user-friendly drinking water facilities for all students and staff
Encourage environmentally conscious behaviour among the student population
Align with the Healthy Ireland framework for healthy eating and healthy environments

Championing Hydration and Sustainability on Campus

Focusing on sustainability, accessibility, and behavioural change across a busy university campus.

After working with UL’s Buildings and Estates team — supported by sustained lobbying from the UL Environmental Society — we identified the Oasis P8EBFY Bottle Filling Station as the ideal solution for the campus.

The installation began with the Glucksman Library, where student awareness of plastic waste had already been raised through grassroots campaigns — including a bottle collector built by the UL Environmental Society in 2016 to visually demonstrate weekly plastic waste on campus. The results following installation spoke for themselves, driving further rollout across the university estate.

Championing Hydration and Sustainability on Campus

Bottle saver counter displays real-time bottles saved from landfill — driving environmental awareness
High-volume output dispensing filtered, clean drinking water
User-friendly design encouraging regular refill habits
Suitable for installation in libraries, academic buildings, and student facilities
Supports institutional sustainability targets and Healthy Ireland commitments
Durable construction suited to high footfall university environments

214,000 bottles

saved from landfill within just 9 months of the first installation

1 initial unit

installed in the Glucksman Library, driving campus-wide rollout

Thousands of students

hydrated daily with clean, filtered water across campus

Conclusion

With bottle filling stations now installed across the University of Limerick campus, UL is delivering on its Healthy Ireland commitments — providing students and staff with clean, accessible drinking water while making a measurable impact on single-use plastic waste. The bottle saver counter has proven a powerful tool in shifting attitudes, making the environmental impact of hydration choices visible and real for the entire campus community.

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