Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519224
10 OPINION maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 APRIL 2024 Mikael Balzan & Mattia Stafrace Mikael Balzan (Year 9) and Mattia Stafrace (Year 8) are members of the Secondary St Augustine College Ekoskola Committee MALTESE households con- sume the least water in the EU but then consumed an aver- age of 1000 plastic bottles per household in 2021 . These are highly alarming figures! With the introduction of the Beverage Container Re- fund Sceme (BCRS) aimed at collecting 90% of single user beverage containers in Malta , this scholastic year, the St Au- gustine College Ekoskola Com- mittee at the Secondary Cam- pus has launched a water audit amongst its 360 students, 80% of which participated, there- fore shedding light on their water consumption habits and sustainability initiatives within the school environment. 62% of students reported using reusable water bottles at school, indicating a posi- tive trend towards sustainable practices. However, there were divided opinions whether sin- gle-use water bottles should be completely banned on Cam- pus. Reasons were mostly re- lated to the fear of ending up without spare water if the need arose. 30% of students bring drink- ing water from home using reverse osmosis systems. This is a positive decision made in households, however the ma- jority of households still opt for buying single-use water bottles for household use. Almost half of the students who took part in this survey expressed the need for extra water at school. This indicated the need for water availabili- ty on campus for all students, which has been addressed by the College administration with the installation of a wa- ter fountain on Campus, which the students are using to refill their bottles when needed. In this way students do not need to leave single use water bottles in the lockers, or carry heavier school bags to have extra water available. The Committee has been ed- ucating students on how to use the water fountain, and avoid excess use to avoid the wastage of water. Water wastage was in fact the second point in our investiga- tion this year. In the past two years, water-saving devices were installed in all flushings. However, in a College with more than 20 bathrooms, it is important to check regu- larly for water leakages. The Ekoskola Committee members checked this out during the first term and identified a few loose taps and flushings that were seen to by the mainte- nance team. The next step was to present our findings with the College Rector, Fr David Cortis OSA, and discuss the way forward where students and school ad- ministration would collaborate to create sustainable practices to further save water on Cam- Water audit at St Augustine College reveals student habits and perspectives The Ekoskola Committee in a meeting with College Rector Fr David Cortis, discussing the results of their water audit and the way forward One of the wells that is being restored at the Secondary Campus of St Augustine College in Pietà