The Tokyo Bureau of Waterworks is doing a promotional campaign of bottling their tap water, except they sell it for 100 yen when they’re not giving it away at events. Someone asked why the hell they had to pay 100 yen for tap water, and the reply was that bottling and shipping costs drove up the price even though the content was essentially free.

This may be smart for the vendors too, since if they get rid of the bottling cost, then it’s a bigger profit margin even if they sell it for a discounted price.

You can already take your own cup/thermos to Starbucks and other coffee shops to save on those nasty disposable cups they serve their coffee in.

Next I hope to see this with vending machines!