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Canada’s Conestoga Mall officially chose its side of the sustainability debate over bottled water this past summer, by installing a hydration station.
Located just past the mall entrance, by popular discounter Winners in the corridor near the public washrooms, the station is where shoppers, center staff and retail employees can stop to refill their own reusable bottles whenever they feel thirsty, instead of purchasing bottled water. Those who don’t have a bottle, or have simply forgotten to bring it along, can always use one of the compostable cups provided.
Similar to home installations, Conestoga Mall’s hydration station processes tap water using a Brita system that sends it through an NSF-certified filter that removes sediment, chlorinetaste and odor.
According to operations manager Craig Walsh, the mall has gone through approximately 18,000 cups since launching its program in June.
“The majority of the customers use the compostable cups,” he noted. “However, we have seen an increase in the [number of] tenants using their own bottles.”
Walsh also said plans to add a second hydration station were already in the works.