Red Dot 2024 · NPS 90 · 600+ companies · 10+ countries
Why workplaces are rethinking the drinks machine
Rarely because the machine broke. Usually because something forced the question: the contract is up, the office is moving or being fitted out, the ESG report needs a number, or someone did the sums on what those cans cost once you count everything.
From 1 Oct 2027
Changes in the arithmetic on cans
A deposit return scheme runs across the whole UK, and every drinks can between 150 ml and 3 litres carries a 20p deposit. It’s aimed at producers and retailers, not workplaces — but every can arriving in your building carries 20p that’s either reclaimed or written off. A tap has no container, so it has nothing to reclaim.
Cost
The free machine is not free
It usually rests on a minimum weekly take, with the shortfall landing back on you if the machine is quiet. The rest is spread where nobody adds it up: what your team spends, the space stock takes, the recycling, and the half-hour a week spent ordering, chasing and reporting.met, consectetur adipiscing elit,
Logistics
Restocking is somebody’s job
Ordering, storing, refilling, and dealing with what comes back. Whether that sits with your team or the operator depends on the contract — but the coordination sits with you either way. Andre Boddeveld, Facility Manager at CMS, was getting through around 29,000 cans a month before the switch
Workplace experience
People notice what’s in the pantry
Offices are spending real money on making the place worth the commute. A machine full of cans is a cost line. A tap people actually choose to use gets used every day and gets mentioned. At STARP, sparkling water became the team’s default and 100 cans a week stopped coming through the door.
If the ordering and refilling is the part that bothers you most, this is the page for it — the office restocking solution.
the practical differences
Vending machine or water dispenser
Both live in the kitchen, both give people a cold drink.
After that they're different propositions.
What the installation needs, and what happens if there's no water connection where you want it — see the installation page.
How many drinks does your team actually get through?
Check it with a simple formula: employees x office days per week x drinks per day.
Below is a worked example at 3 drinks per person per office day:
WHAT IT honestly COSTS
You pay per drink, and that price covers the dispenser, installation, bi-annual servicing and filter changes, warranty, plus unlimited flavours and sparkling. The cost page and calculator can map it to your headcount and office days.
Worth being straight about
If people currently buy their own cans, this may look like a new expense. What it replaces is a set of costs that rarely appear on one line: drinks, administration, storage, waste and recycling.
Not sure your office is big enough yet? The threshold is here.
HOW THE SWITCH RUNS
01
Check the vending agreement
Confirm the end date, notice period, and who collects the machine. Installation is planned around your end date so the team is never without drinks.
02
Check the space
You need a dedicated cabinet, a nearby tap, an earthed socket, and ventilation. A drain is useful but not essential.
03
Installation
Once the site is ready, installation happens within two weeks. It takes about 45 minutes and is included in the per-drink price.
04
One site, then the rest
Most multi-site teams start with one building, prove it, then roll out under a single agreement. From day one, the dashboard shows what is being poured and what it has saved.
Making the case internally
The person who wants the change is rarely the person who signs it off. These are the arguments that carry, by who you're talking to.
For finance
One rate per drink, everything included. No capital outlay, no asset on the books, no repair bills. The only extra that exists is £200–£300 if the dispenser is ever moved.
For HR & workplace
Everyone drinks for free, all day, from a tap that gives them something better than tap water — one of the few benefits used every single day, and noticed by visitors.
For ESG & reporting
No cans, no bottles, no waste stream, nothing to reclaim under the deposit scheme from 2027. The AURA dashboard tracks consumption, so the number in your report comes from a system, not an estimate.
CMS swapped 29,000 cans a month for a tap
29,000
cans a month, before the switch — CMS, international law firm, 9,000+ people, 70 offices
Okay, I get the hype now. This tastes way better than anything we have in the office fridge.
jessica kosdi
Facility coordinator, Infinite group
Frequently asked questions
If you have other questions, let us know.
01
What is the alternative to an office vending machine?
A plumbed-in water dispenser that pours 60+ drinks from one tap: still or sparkling, chilled or ambient, pure or with flavour and vitamins. There's no stock to reorder, no cans to store or return, and nothing for staff to pay at the point of use.
02
Our vending machine is free. Why would we change?
Because free describes the machine, not the arrangement. The offer usually rests on a minimum weekly take, and the shortfall comes back to you if the machine is quiet. Beyond that, the cost sits in places that aren't on the invoice — and from October 2027, a 20p deposit on every can. A dispenser puts one number in one place and gives everyone unlimited drinks for it.
03
What does the 2027 deposit return scheme mean for our office?
From 1 October 2027, a deposit return scheme runs across the UK, with 20p on every in-scope drinks container between 150ml and 3 litres, including cans. The obligations fall on producers and retailers, not workplaces. What changes is that every can you buy carries a deposit you either reclaim or absorb. A dispenser has no container, so the question doesn't arise.
04
Can we keep our snack machine?
Yes, and plenty of offices do. This is about the drinks side, not vending as a whole. If the snack machine earns its place, keep it and take the cans out of the equation.
05
We run several sites. Does this work across all of them?
Most multi-site accounts start with one building and roll out from there under a single agreement, so each site is an installation rather than a new project. Each dispenser reports into the same AURA dashboard.
06
How many people do we need for it to be worth it?
The model works from about 1,000 drinks a month — roughly 16 people full time, or 25–30 if the team works hybrid, at three drinks per person per office day. The small offices page works it through.
07
Can the dispenser run alongside the vending machine?
Many offices leave the machine in place for the first few months and watch the AURA dashboard for what changes. By the time the vending contract ends, the decision has usually already made itself.
