It is no wonder that the evil of plastic is killing our world slowly. We have all come to realize that to bring any change to our current situation, we need to come together and fight off this menace collectively. Many governments, and more importantly, corporations, are banning single-use plastic and opting for recyclable plastics or compostable materials. A recent corporation taking a step in the right direction is the San Francisco International Airport.
Credit: Chris McGinnis
From 20th August, San Francisco Airport has banned the sale of any kind of plastic bottles containing water: sparkling or carbonated water, mineral water, purified water, or even electrolyte-enhanced water. While the policy has not yet considered flavored beverages like juices, sodas, and teas, water consumption is generally a bit high in airports.
Read: New York Officially Bans Plastic Bags
Credit: Chris McGinnnis
It is essential for travelers to stay hydrated inside the airport, which is generally dry and cloggy. The flights do have an effect on your body and being hydrated becomes a crucial health choice. That’s why many travelers buy plastic water bottles from the airport vending machine or a shop after passing the security.
But now, there has been a small but much-needed change.
Single-use plastic water bottles will be replaced by aluminum bottles or cans and glass bottles. It’s reasonable for the most part, except canned water is not a very sustainable or wise decision. You can’t cap it up to preserve it and so, you have to consume the entire water in one go. Glass bottles are a bit heavy and there’s always a fear of shattering them. So, the best option is getting a reusable aluminum bottle, and keeping it with you for the future. You can’t find water in paper boxes either inside the airport. According to a spokesperson for SFO, Doug Yakel, most of these paper-boxed water bottles do not match up with the compostability standards of the city and are often lined with plastic too.
Source: Drop Water
However, the alternatives approved by the company had Drop Water in it. It sells plain drinking water in water bottles which are fully compostable and can be filled from kiosks on demand as well. While there are no shops of Drop Water currently present at SFO till now, this plastic ban can help in the setting up of new kiosks of this corporation. The Mineta San Jose Airport has kiosks on both the terminals, which means the possibility of getting kiosks in San Francisco Airport is quite high.
Credit: Chris McGinnis
As per Yakel, the ban has also been placed on the airline lounges of SFO. Even now, several lounges give plastic water bottles to travelers to carry. The Polaris Lounge of United Airlines has Dasani plastic bottles stocked in coolers for their travelers. As of now, the ban is not applicable for water served inside the aircraft.
Read: Sir David Attenborough Calls Plastic Pollution An ‘Unfolding Catastrophe’ In New Report
The message from SFO is clear – if you wish to keep yourself hydrated when you are traveling in an airplane, then start bringing your own bottle which can be reused. There are many hydration stations present inside the terminals so, you can easily fill your bottle up. Plus, SFO is proud of its water’s purity. The tap water in San Francisco comes through several treatments. It comes from the melting Sierra which is directed to the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park. It is one of the safest, best-tasting, and purest waters on the planet.
Credit: Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle
SFO is trying to curb single-use plastic. Now, it’s time for us to take some responsibility and stop using it too.
Feature Image Credit: Sebastien Bozon, AFP/Getty Images
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The post Another Win Against Plastic Pollution: SFO Has Banned Sale Of Plastic Water Bottles appeared first on Educate Inspire Change.