Originally Posted by
janetdoe
Saw a cool thing at ORD last week. They have a sink/disposal unit sitting next to the trash can at the checkpoints. They have signs advising you to empty your water bottles before the checkpoint, save them, and refill them later. Several of the water fountains at ORD are also designated "bottle fill stations" and have faucets that are specifically designed to make it easy to refill a bottle with water.
It's stupid they had to do that, but it is an incredible convenience, assuming the liquids policy is here to stay.
That IS pretty cool.
Leaving aside the 3-1-1 rule, lots of people today carry water bottles with them everywhere and fill them from drinking fountains, but typical drinking fountains simply weren't designed to fill tall sports bottles. Heck, even the water cooler I have in my office is designed with mug-size vessels in mind, and we have to angle our sports bottles when filling them. Adding a bottle-friendly drinking fountain or spigot of some kind to a public space is a great innovation that I'd love to see in all sorts of public buildings, not just airports.
ORD seems to have gone the extra mile by placing sinks near the c/p to empty bottles.