Earlier this week, the San Francisco International Airport (one of the largest airports in the United States) announced that it will be banning the sale of single-use water bottles in all of its terminals, effective later this month on August 20th, making the California airport the first of its kind to enact a conservation ban of this magnitude. As more and more businesses and venues around the world become more energy conscious, an increased amount of patrons and customers become more aware of how our society impacts the world we live in. But a couple of questions are raised: what is included in the ban and how will it better our society?
Information initially reported by The Hill.
According to airport officials, bottles that are prohibited from sale will include “bottled water in containers that contain plastic or aseptic paper packaging, including in vending machines." However, the airport encourages vendors to instead provide reusable water bottles, recyclable aluminum, glass and certified compostable water bottles in place of the more harmful plastic bottles. All water products will be affected by this ban, with the exception of flavored water which will still be sold in its original plastic packaging.
The ban of plastic water bottles will cut down immensely on the airport’s overall waste footprint, but there is still work to do. Next on their agenda, San Francisco International plans to implement steps that will eliminate plastic soda bottles as well.
Do you think this is a great step forward in terms of getting larger venues on board for environmental conservation and expand the conversation, or is it a waste of time and energy? Let us know in the comments below!