Plastic water bottles no longer sold on campus

Alice McGuire | Deputy Editor 

Washtenaw Community College has eliminated the sale of plastic water bottles on campus, replacing them with more environmentally sustainable alternatives, such as boxed water and aluminum water bottles. This change has been in effect since April 1, 2025. 

Rebecca Andrews, resource recovery manager at WCC, described her role as being in charge of trying to keep things that are discarded on campus out of the landfill. According to Andrews, about 60% of discarded material on campus does not end up in a landfill. 

Andrews said that her biggest concern is that people might not realize that they can recycle boxed water. 

“People just have to put them in the green bins, and that’s where I have some concern that there might be confusion because it’s a box and the green bins are labeled bottles, cans, containers,” said Andrews.

Andrews also said that all water fountains on campus are in the process of being updated into filtered water refill stations, and that the one in the Student Center by the stairs has already been converted. 

Edward Bottke, 31, a cybersecurity major who usually brings his own water bottle to campus, said he felt the change was a good step towards reducing waste. For students who might be investing in their first reusable water, Bottke recommended being sure to clean them regularly. 

It is generally recommended to wash reusable water bottles daily. 

Rebecca DeFauw, 18, a pre-engineering major, said that, while she wasn’t completely sure of the environmental or health impacts of aluminum, she was glad to see the change due to concern over microplastics leaching into the water, adding, “the expiration date (on the bottle) is not for the water, it’s for the plastic.”

Right now, a 16 oz aluminum bottle of Aquafina is $2.50 from the vending machine on the first floor in the Student Center, while an 18 oz aluminum bottle of Smart Water is $2.99 from the campus bookstore.  

Austin Chapman, 19, an environmental science major, said he used to use plastic water bottles, but that his major has made him cautious about microplastics. He said he finds the aluminum bottles affordable and that he has found them easy to reuse. “It’s just a net positive.” 

Emily Thompson, faculty in the biology department and faculty lead for the Center for Sustainability and Resilience, said “This has been a concern of students for a number of years, and we’re so glad that this is something that we’re moving forward on.”  

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