SFO Becomes The First Major Airport To Ban The Sale Of Plastic Water Bottles Taking Another Major Step In Its Plan To Go Green
by Heather Cassell
Something will be missing at San Francisco International Airport when travelers flying in and out of the 25th busiest airports in the world in late August: plastic water bottles.
Plastic water bottles – with the exception of flavor water, sodas and juices – will be banned from the Northern California airport after August 20, SFO airport officials announced last week.
SFO is the first airport to ban all plastic water bottles.
“We’re the first airport that we’re aware of to implement this change,” Doug Yakel, the airport’s spokesperson, told the Chronicle. “We’re on the leading edge for the industry, and we want to push the boundaries of sustainability initiatives.”
Doug said airport officials are hearing from other airports that are interested in making a similar transition away from plastic to become more sustainable. He hopes more airports will follow suit in the future, he said.
Shops, restaurants, lounges and vending machines will not be allowed to sell or offer water in plastic bottles. Instead, travelers will have to bring their own empty water bottles (remember you still have to get through security) or purchase an aluminum, glass or certified compostable water bottles and fill them at one of the 100 water stations placed throughout the airport.
Travelers will be able to bring their own empty disposable plastic water bottles to refill to the airport.
The new policy is a part of the airport’s zero-waste initiative, which set its sight on becoming the world’s first zero-waste airport by 2021 and to come into compliance with the city’s 2014 ordinance which banned the sale of plastic water bottles on city-owned property, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
Approximately 4 million plastic water bottles are sold annually at the airport, reported ABC 7 News.
SFO cited the bottles as one of the airports biggest waste issue because plastic bottles multiply like rabbits adding up to 4 million annually at SFO, reported KTVU.
Worldwide, about 500 billion plastic water bottles are used every year and less than 25% of plastic water bottles are ever recycled.
In March, SFO transitioned away from single-use plastic utensils and food ware in foodservice. Adding plastic water bottles will only be an add on to a movement that is already in motion.
Last month, the airport announced its renewal of its three-year certification of its Airport Carbon Accreditation program by the Airports Council International. SFO received its first certification in 2016.
The public is embracing the change for the most part, reported the Washington Post. Aside from disgruntled business travelers adjusting to having one more thing to pack (that’s what those side pockets are for on your rolling bag), the Bay Area’s eco-travelers don’t believe the ban goes far enough. If they had it their way, the sodas, coffee, tea, juices and flavored water still sold in plastic water bottles would also be a thing of the past.
SFO’s new hydration stations (Photo: Courtesy of Airline Trends)
The only reason flavored drinks aren’t included is that there are so many options for water bottles, Doug said.
Flavored water and other drinks have been spared, but only for the moment due to lack of container and cleaning options and an adjustment period to the change.
“This trend has yet to make its way to flavored beverages, but we’re hopeful it does in the coming years,” Doug said.
Rachel McCaffery, director of Travel Without Plastic, applauded the move along with other travel companies tossing out plastic and embracing more sustainable, earth-friendly practices.
“This is a move that will be welcomed by increasing numbers of travelers, concerned at the impact plastic is having on the environment,” said Rachel, stating that, “There is still more to do.”
“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,” she continued.
Days before SFO’s announcement, InterContinental Hotels Group announced its plan to stop using miniature bottles of toiletries, such as shampoo and lotion, across all of its hotel brands including InterContinental, Kimpton, Regent, Crown Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Resort, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, HUALUXE, voco, Hotel Indigo, EVEN, avid, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites making it the first. Instead, the global chain hotelier will install bulk dispensers. The change totals up to nearly 843,000 rooms in more than 5,600 hotels around the world and is anticipated to eliminate 200 million bottles worth of waste a year. The hotel chain plans to complete its transition by 2021.
It’s a part of a movement in the travel industry and some western cities to eliminate plastic and waste to become more sustainable and green. Last year, travel companies and cities announced it would follow cities, like San Francisco and Oakland’s lead, to reduce or eliminate plastic straws.
Book your next Intrepid women-only vacation with Girls That Roam Travel. Contact Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam Travel at 415-517-7239 or at .
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