Starting August 20, you won’t be able to buy a plastic bottle of water at San Francisco International Airport as a city-wide ban on single-use plastic bottles being sold on city property takes effect.
In preparation for the ban, airport officials have installed ‘hydration stations’ like the one above to allow easy refilling of refillable permanent bottles—or any officially non-refillable bottle you have with you. The ban, passed in 2014 and now in full effect, applies only to sales on city property.
With increasing attention worldwide to issues of waste disposal, plastic and more, the airport has a goal of eliminating 90% of its contribution to landfills by 2021.
I’ve been a recycler all my life and I’m a fan of plastics and all they contribute to our lives. Look around your home and make a list of the many useful things that contain plastics, like the mouse that I’m using to write this. That said, I’m not a fan of people who use a bottle and just throw it away when there is an option to use that plastic again. That’s irresponsible and stupid. I’d favor a campaign of education and providing lots of places to recycle your bottle at the airport over punishing all individuals.
If San Francisco city council wants to ban the use of plastics in the city, that’s up to them and the people who vote these politicians into office. But we’re talking about travelers at an airport who are very limited in what they can take with them, be it because of TSA restrictions or weight issues.
We have choices on where to travel and visit, and SFO is now off my list.
It would be interesting to know just who instituted the ban. Very possibly not SF politicians as SFO airport is in San Mateo County.
It’s a 2014 San Francisco ordinance that had a five-year time to take effect. It is aimed at sales on city-owned property, which is why it applies to the city-owned airport, even though it is San Mateo County.
How amazingly self-righteous and stupid. Jet-lag and deep vein thrombosis are related to dehydration, and a traveler can’t buy a bottle of water in SFO anymore to take with them on a flight (remember, you can’t bring a bottle of aqua with you through TSA). Plastics of this type are highly recyclable.
Time to avoid SFO on my travels.
I think single-use plastics are a real issue, but I also think they’ve made a mistake in thinking that expecting everyone to carry a refillable (and needs-to-be-washed, etc,) bottle is unrealistic. In a number of places I’ve seen boxed water, just like the little pint and half-pint milk cartons…that might be a way to strike the middle.
Is it just plastic water bottles or am I looking to buy a Pepsi ?