In early 2019, Winchester City Council received a petition from residents requesting action on plastic waste with the installation of public drinking fountains in central Winchester. The council responded to the petition positively. In due course, they contracted MIW Water Cooler Experts to implement a city-wide project.
Winchester City Council decided to begin this project with a single trial drinking fountain installation in the city’s Abbey Gardens. With a mind to further installations across Winchester should the trial prove popular. The council’s Project Management Team prepared a detailed brief for MIW.
With the Abbey Gardens installation being a pilot study and deciding factor over whether the public petition would be fully answered, it was especially important to find a refill station that would appeal to as wide a number of park visitors as possible.
Taking all of Winchester Council’s prerequisites into consideration, MIW recommended the Halsey Taylor 4420BF1UDB – Endura II Tubular Outdoor Bottle Filling Station. This is one of the most versatile bottle fillers on the market, providing both standard height, wheelchair accessible drinking fountain bubbler and bottle filler and an additional ground level bubbler for dogs. Made from powder coated stainless steel, it is highly durable. And that, combined with the security screwed cabinet and hands-free operation, provides vandal resistance. The unit also meets all the criteria specified by the council’s Technical Division. While the splash-free laminar flow, rapid fill and an inline strainer ensure the best quality experience for users.
Once the bottle filler had been selected, MIW worked with the Winchester City Council Project Management Team to arrange a suitable installation time.
The Abbey Gardens bottle filler installation took place in summer 2019. The installation went according to plan and budget. The use of the water dispenser was monitored closely during the following months and was so well received that councillors committed to extending the project.
MIW Water Cooler Experts is continuing to work closely with the Winchester Council Project Management Team to arrange the installation of 25 bottle refill stations across the city.
Once the installations have taken place, MIW will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance, sanitisation and servicing of all 26 refill units.
Rolled out bottle refill stations across the town to hydrate and reduce plastic waste
Most ambitious public drinking fountain programme of any council in the country
First council in Europe to install free to use public bottle refill stations
