World Refill Day: New Water Carafes for the University of Bayreuth
On World Refill Day, 16 June, the University of Bayreuth is promoting sustainable water use with new water carafes across campus. This initiative improves access to high-quality tap water while helping to reduce single-use plastic waste.
16 June marks World Refill Day, which highlights the many benefits of tap water—particularly as temperatures rise. The global day of action was initiated by the non-profit organisation City to Sea. In addition to the high quality of drinking water, it also raises awareness of plastic pollution caused by single-use plastics. Drinking water is subject to strict and regular quality controls and can therefore be consumed without concern. Carrying your own refillable bottle and knowing where to top it up helps to reduce waste and CO₂ emissions.
At the University of Bayreuth, refilling has now been made easier in another way: in recent weeks, water carafes have been provided for all faculties, the Ecological-Botanical Garden, the libraries and the BayBatt branch. This ensures availability across the various buildings, and the carafes can be used during regular committee meetings. They can also be borrowed for events via the respective dean’s office. Dr Nicole Kaiser (Chancellor of the University of Bayreuth) sponsored the 114 carafes. Water carafes have already been used in the university administration for some time during numerous meetings.
The University of Bayreuth is not alone in its efforts to make tap water more accessible and appealing. This is also demonstrated by the joint tap water campaign of the City and District of Bayreuth: “Our Drinking Water in Focus”, which has been running since 2025. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the quality and advantages of tap water. Part of the initiative is to label refill stations in the region and thus improve access to drinking water.
A tip for fresh tap water on the go: the map of “cool places” in the Bayreuth region already lists a number of refill stations: https://stadtdigital-bayreuth.de/seiten/kuehle-orte/. It also highlights shady parks, publicly accessible indoor spaces, public toilets and drinking fountains—particularly useful during hot summer days. Additional stations can be added via the City of Bayreuth’s climate protection management team.