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How Water Bottle Refill Stations Contribute to Campus Sustainability: A Case Study in Japan
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This Japanese study explored whether water bottle refill stations on a university campus reduced single-use plastic bottle consumption among students, finding a positive effect on pro-environmental behavior. Reducing single-use plastic consumption is a direct way to cut the volume of plastic entering the environment and eventually becoming microplastics.
The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of installing Water bottle Refill Stations (WRSs) and their contributions to campus sustainability by means of encouraging pro-environmental behavior in students. Plastic waste is one of the most critical environmental issues. Therefore, we investigated how WRS can deter students from using disposable plastic bottles. We conducted a survey at a Japanese university to address (1) students’ Willingness To Pay (WTP) to install WRS, (2) their Willingness To Use (WTU) WRSs while acknowledging its environmental benefits, and (3) the impact of communicating information about points (1) and (2). We utilized Goal-Framing Theory (GFT) and the Integrated Framework for Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior (IFEP) as the theoretical background of our study. The results of our survey found that the mean WTP was 2211 JPY (1 JPY = 0.01 USD), an amount students would donate just once. This finding indicates students would be willing to pay to install a WRS at their university. The mean WTP students supported would be enough to cover the WRS installation and maintenance costs. According to our study, 58.82% of students stated that they would be willing to use WRS. In doing so, students would save 45,191 disposable plastic bottles and reduce 10,846 kg of related CO2 emissions every year. Our study also showed a statistically significant increase in WTP and WTU WRS as we introduced more and more information about pro-environmental behaviors to students. This finding indicates the importance of information campaigning and learning how to encourage pro-environmental behavior.
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A study of college students in Indonesia found that even though most students know single-use plastics (like bags and bottles) are bad for the environment, that knowledge doesn't always translate into actually cutting back on plastic use. Interestingly, students studying environmental science were better at avoiding plastic than other students, suggesting that being surrounded by a culture that values sustainability makes a real difference in habits. This matters because single-use plastics break down into microplastics that can end up in our food, water, and bodies—so closing the gap between "knowing better" and "doing better" could help reduce our long-term exposure to these particles.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.