In recent weeks, DKR has participated in the inaugurations of new drinking water dispensers installed in schools in Busto Arsizio and Casei Gerola. These are two municipalities in Lombardy that have chosen to invest in tap water and the reduction of single-use plastic thanks to the regional RI.Circo.Lo call for proposals. In Busto Arsizio, we installed ten Water Drop Box dispensers in six school buildings, from nursery schools to middle schools. In Casei Gerola, we installed four Water Drop Box units in schools and the gym, and two DKR Voreal column dispensers in the town hall and library. These installations are not just modern water fountains, but educational tools around which teachers build lessons on the water cycle, purification, and the responsible use of a precious resource. In this article, we share our observations from the field, explain why schools are strategic locations for change, and highlight the characteristics that make the Water Drop Box, in the words of the children, “the superhero that fights plastic bottles.”.
For over thirty years, DKR has been designing and installing water dispensing solutions, supporting Municipalities, schools and public spaces through every stage of their journey. For this reason, we are particularly proud to have been invited to the inauguration ceremonies of Busto Arsizio and Casei Gerola: what we saw confirmed that, when technology and education work together, the impact far exceeds the mere installation of a system.
In Busto Arsizio, despite its proximity to our Rescaldina headquarters, this was the first time we brought our Water Drop Boxes to the city's schools. Together with the municipal administration and the Galilei di Sacconago e Borsano comprehensive institute, we installed ten dispensers in six school buildings (from childhood to lower secondary school) placing them in corridors and high-traffic areas to facilitate access during the day. The systems dispense Tap water unfiltered, controlled, and safe, at strategic points within buildings.
In Casei Gerola, the path with the Municipality has deeper roots: the first Water House We installed it in 2012. Subsequently, Casei Gerola installed a second water house, an XP 2.0 model installed in 2022, which also serves the neighbouring municipalities of Cornale and Bastida, who share the maintenance costs. Today, the administration has chosen to proceed with four new Water Drop Boxes, distributed in schools and the gymnasium, and two Voreal DKR column dispensers in the town hall and library. In this way, public and free water enters the places of daily life for the entire community, it is not confined to a single access point.
During the inaugurations, we met children and young people of all ages, from nursery schoolers to middle school students. What struck us most was their level of awareness: they weren't there out of curiosity, but because they had already studied. The teachers had in fact built educational paths about water in the weeks prior, transforming the arrival of the dispenser into an eagerly awaited event, the culmination of work already begun in the classroom.
Both Busto Arsizio and Casei Gerola were able to carry out these interventions thanks to the Circus band, promoted by the Lombardy Region to support projects for waste reduction and circular economy. It is a concrete tool that allows administrations to support the initial investment in “plastic-free” infrastructure (dispensers, reusable tableware, canteen facilities) without placing the entire burden on municipal budgets.
In Busto Arsizio, the contribution covered, in addition to the Water Drops, the purchase of glass carafes, reusable glasses, and tableware for school refectories: an integrated package that reduces single-use plastic on multiple fronts simultaneously. In Casei Gerola, the tender supported the choice to bring Water Drop Box even in places open to the public, not just in classrooms.
From our point of view, this type of funding is important because it pushes administrations to make a qualitative leap: it's not about replacing disposable bottles with reusable ones by decree, but about redesigning access to water as
A public proximity service, combined with information, school involvement, and communication to citizens. When the technical choice is accompanied by an educational project, the system becomes part of a stable change, not a fleeting trend.
As mentioned previously, one of the aspects that most impressed us in Busto Arsizio and Casei Gerola was the work carried out in class in the preceding weeks. The students had prepared posters, drawings, and research on the water cycle, water purification at the treatment plant, the correct use of water, and water conservation.
The nursery school children represented water through images and short stories, transforming the new dispenser into an almost fairy-tale character. The primary and middle school students, on the other hand, worked on diagrams and presentations that clearly explain where the water we drink comes from, what checks it undergoes along the water network, and why it is important to choose it.’Tap water all packaged alternatives.
This preparation makes a huge difference: when we enter a school where water has already been discussed and studied, the installation of the Water Drop or Water Drop Box is perceived as the natural culmination of a process, not as an object imposed from above. It's the moment when theory connects with daily actions, like turning on the tap, filling a water bottle, drinking with classmates, and makes them meaningful.
For us, this is the best way to transform a facility into an authentic educational tool: not a visual aid to hang in the classroom, but a physical point around which to build. Environmental education projects and active citizenship.
When we install a dispenser in a school, the central theme is not just “Where to drink”, but “how one chooses to drink”. The presence of a modern and accessible water fountain encourages students to bring Water bottles and reusable glasses, measurably reducing the intake of PET bottles in classrooms and canteens.
From an environmental perspective, every refilled water bottle means one less single-use plastic bottle to produce, transport, and dispose of. In Italy, around 8 billion 1.5-litre bottles are consumed annually: an enormous number, generating over 280,000 tonnes of plastic waste and millions of tonnes of CO₂ linked to the supply chain. Across an entire school, over a school year, the reduction in plastic can amount to thousands of containers.
There is also an economic dimension, often underestimated: for families, getting used to tap water means reducing recurring expenditure on bottled water; for municipalities, better organisation of water dispensing points helps to contain waste management costs. But above all, there is a long-term cultural effect: when tap water becomes the norm at school, it is more likely that the same behaviour will be replicated at home, at the gym, and elsewhere.
Among the drawings hung near the dispensers during the openings, there was one that particularly struck us: Water Drop Box, depicted as a superhero with a cape, with the slogan “fights plastic bottles”. In a few words and with a pencil, a child had hit the nail on the head of the project.
When very young children give a name and a face to a piece of technical equipment, it means they have integrated it into their experience. From that moment, getting a drink is no longer a neutral act, but becomes part of a story, a shared narrative with the class. This is how sustainability stops being an abstract concept and transforms into a daily habit, repeated every morning.
For us, designing school facilities it also means imagining how they will be experienced by children, how they will enter into their stories and if they can truly become “allies” in the journey towards more conscious citizenship. The inaugurations in Busto Arsizio and Casei Gerola confirmed for us that when the project is done well, this really does happen.
Discover how to install Water Drop Box in schools and public spaces in your area. We support administrations at every stage: from needs assessment to the management of the RI.Circo.Lo tender, right up to the inauguration.
Contact us for free advice and transforms public water into an educational tool for the entire community.
This allows students easy access to tap water throughout the day, reducing the use of single-use plastic bottles and promoting healthier consumption habits. The facilities also become concrete educational tools, around which projects on water, the environment, and responsible consumption can be built.
Yes. The systems use mains water, which is continuously monitored in accordance with current regulations. Depending on the water company's and the administration's needs, we can integrate filtration and sanitisation systems to further optimise quality and hygiene.
Yes, it was designed precisely for this. The surfaces are rounded, there are no sharp edges or exposed components, and the spout allows you to drink comfortably even without a container. It's one of the elements that sets it apart from competing solutions on the market.
No. Water Drop Box allows you to drink directly from it, like a traditional fountain, and to fill any container. The choice is free and depends on each student's habits, without excluding anyone.
The first step is to assess the needs of schools and public spaces, then identify available funding sources, such as the RI.Circo.Lo call for proposals or other regional measures. We at DKR assist administrations throughout the entire process: from choosing the most suitable system to communicating the project to teachers, families, and citizens.
Via Grigna, 60 - 20027 Rescaldina (MI) - ITALY
Tel. +39 0331 54 94 67 - Fax +39 0331 54 49 01
info@dkr.it - dkr@pec.it
English 
Italian 
Spanish 
French