Students and staff at an American university have seen all hand towel dispensers replaced in recent months. Dyson hand dryers have been installed instead, these are more energy efficient and cheaper for the university.
Students have found a flaw in this energy saving plan; if there is a spillage from the water fountain or the sink there is no means by which to mop it up.
Despite this the university had good reason for the replacement. The school has saved $40,000 annually, and as the Dyson hand dryers cost a total of $146,841, this expenditure is expected to be paid off in around four years.
The hand dryers are not only saving money by eliminating the purchasing of millions of paper towels each year – a saving of $31,500 alone in towels. Further savings are also made with fewer hours working; less rubbish needs taking out; less time filling paper towel dispensers and less floor clean up time.
The bathrooms also have the bonus of looking cleaner, as well as the Dyson hand dryers saving the university money, being kinder to the environment and being more hygienic.
However the staff and students are not happy that all towel dispensers have been removed – if there is a spill it’s very difficult to clean up and they often have to wait to use the hand dryer.
Many of the toilet facilities only have one dryer for every three cubicles – leading to queues. The hand dryers do take time to start in-between each student using it adding more time to each toilet break.
However many students have said they are happy to be attending an eco-friendly university – a few extra minutes drying your hands is nothing compared with cutting down the paper towel consumption of an entire university.