Starting August 20, single-use plastic water bottles will be banned at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). If you want water at the airport or to bring on a plane departing from it, you’ll have to bring a reusable bottle or buy one at the airport and then fill it at one of the 100+ hydration stations. Vendors and vending machines, meanwhile, will no longer carry single-use plastic water bottles at SFO.
For now, the ban applies to water only. That means that flavored waters and other beverages in single-use plastic are still okay. And according to CNN Business story linked above, “travelers can [still] bring empty disposable plastic water bottles to refill.” Still, a refillable bottle like one of these is a good investment if you’ll be flying through SFO anytime soon.
As to the reasoning behind the decision, the story notes that SFO “set a goal three years ago of becoming the world’s first zero-waste airport by 2021. According to the nonprofit Zero Waste Alliance, that means diverting at least 90% of waste from landfills and incinerators by recycling and composting.” In March, in fact, the airport “transitioned away from single-use plastic food service ware and utensils.”
More single-use plastic bans
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This is a great idea and I hope it’s copied by other airports, business and people in general. Some airports (?)SFO? have drinking fountains AND hydration faucets to fill water bottles–another great idea! BTW, water from the tap is not poison, contaminated or unsafe. Why pay good money when H2O is free for the taking?