The Source Project by Oliver Craig is an innovative concept that encourages us to drink tap water rather than using plastic bottles that play havoc with the environment. You purchase a re-usable drinking bottle from a shop, and then you’re able to top up the bottle for free using a handy water dispenser. Each time you top up your water bottle, you also earn credits or points, which you could then redeem at any participating store.
To top up the water bottle, you just push it into the dispensing receptacle. Within seconds the plastic bottle is filled, and then you can drink from it. The bottle also features a RFID chip, which is credited with points each time you refill the bottle. The aim of the credits is to encourage you to reuse the bottle as many times as possible.
If the bottle was a little larger, and there were plenty of water filling points around, then this is a fantastic idea. I’d happily use it. One main concern I would have would be over hygiene. Details of how hygeine is maintained has not been specified on the design. The filling part of the refill station would need to have a significant degree of design to ensure harmful bacteria are not spread through the receptacles.
Source: YankoDesign