San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has announced a ban on single-use plastic water bottles from 20 August as part of its zero-waste initiative.
The move means that SFO will become the first airport in the US to prohibit the use of plastic bottles in airport premises.
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Once the ban is enforced, all plastic water bottles will be removed from restaurants, cafes, and vending machines at the airport.
Instead, travellers will be required to bring their own containers and refill them at the airport.
In preparation for the ban, the airport has installed more than 100 hydration stations that dispense free filtered water.
A statement issued by the SFO read: “Airport tenants, vendors, and permittees may not provide or sell bottled water in containers that contain plastic or aseptic paper packaging, including in vending machines.
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By GlobalData“Reusable water bottles, recyclable aluminum, glass, and certified compostable water bottles can instead be provided or sold.”
The plastic bottle ban will not affect flavoured water or juices, though the airport may extend the ban to include them in the future.
In an email statement, Travel Without Plastic’s travel director told Washington Post: “Travel Without Plastic welcomes the news that San Francisco Airport is taking action to reduce single-use plastic waste.
“This is a move that will be welcomed by increasing numbers of travellers concerned at the impact plastic is having on the environment.
“There is still more to do though and we’d encourage all other businesses involved in travel and tourism to identify where they can easily reduce plastics, make these changes and plan how to reduce plastic in the more challenging areas.”
In April, SFO purchased six 40ft Proterra Catalyst E2 electric buses and three 60kW Proterra plug-in chargers with the aim of cutting carbon emissions.
